1 1 J It I
k 'Q
/ ^ \'
PL I
U.S. ENSIGNS a_PENNANTS. 1880
NAVY PENNANT
HISTORY
OF THE
I^FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES
OF
AMERICA,
AND OF THE
NAVAL AND YACHT-CLUB SIGNALS, SEALS, AND ARMS,
AND PRINCIPAL NATIONAL SONGS OF
THE UNITED STATES,
THE SYMBOLS, STANDARDS, BANNERS, AND FLAGS OF
ANCIENT AND MODERN NATIONS.
GEO. HENRY FREE Li:,
REAE- ADMIRAL U. S. N', *,
FOURTH EDITION.
Elustratefi fajitfj Zen Colorefi opiates, Zioa fiuriDui Engrabings on IJaooB;
anlJ iHaps anB 'autograpjjks.
BOSTON AND NEW YORK:
HOUGHTOX, MIFFLIN AND COMPANY.
(iri)c EtticrBtUc Prces, CamferiUffe.
1894.
.' "*'.'• By Geo. Henry ,Pi?eblA.
♦*jQot to tht libinff, but to tl)e ^eaU.'
THIS BOOK IS DEDICATED
MEMORY OF THOSE GALLANT SPIRITS
WHO, BY LAND OR SEA, HAVE FOUGHT,
CONQUERED,
JTalleu m Defence
THE BANNER WHICH IT COMMEMORATES.
/6/7i
" Thin Ik a iiinxim whlcli I liavo rocolvwl by luTodltary trn<lition, not only from my father, but
also froui luy gruiulfutlicr unil hin anci.>t<toi'i«, that, af(or what I owe toGixl, nothing Hhuuld bo uioro
dear or sacred than the lovo and r&«jK'ct 1 owe to my country." — DeTiioo.
" Land of my birth ! thy glorious stars
Float over shore and sea.
Mode sacred by a thousand scars
They were not born to flee ;
Oh may that liug for ever wave
Where dwell the jiatriot and the brave,
Till all the earl h be free:
Yet still the shrine be here, .is now.
Where freeman, pilgrim-like, .shall bow."
"There is the national flag! He must be colil. indeed, who can look upon its folds rijjpling
in the breeze without pride of country. If he be in a foreign land, the Hag is companionship, and
country itself, with all its endearments. Who, as he sees it, can think of a State merely? Whose
eye, once fastened upon its radiant trophies, can fail to recognize the image of the whole nation ?
It has been called ' a floating piece of poetry; ' and yet I know not if it have any intrinsic beauty
beyond other ensigns. Its highest beauty is in what it symbolizes. It is because it represents all,
that all gaze at it with delight and reverence. It is a piece of bunting lifted in the air ; but it
8i)caks sublimely, and every part has a voice. Its stripes of alternate red and white proclaim the
original union of thirteen States to maintain the Declaration of Independence. Its stars, white on
a field of blue, proclaim that union of States constituting our national constellation which receives
a new star with every new Slate. The two together signify union, past and present. The very
colors have a language which was officially recognized by our fathers. White is for purity ; red,
for valor ; blue, for justice; and all together — bunting, stripes, stars, and colors, blazing in the
Blfy — make the flag of our country, to be cherished by all our hearts, to be upheld by all our
bands." — Cuarles Sumnkr.
" I have seen the glories of art and architecture, and mountain and river; I have seen the sunset
on Jungfrau, and the full moon rise over Mont Blanc; but the fairest vision on which these eyes
ever lookeil was the flag of my country in a foreign laud. Beautiful as a flower to those who love
it, terrible as a meteor to those who hate, it is the symbol of the power and glory, and the honor of
fifty millions of Americans." — Gi;orge I'. Hoar. l!>T8.
'• Uji many a fortress wall
They charged, those boys in blue;
'Mid surging smoke and volleyed ball,
The bravest were the flrst to fall, —
To fall for me and you!
Our brothers mustered by our side.
They marched and fought and nobly died
l'"or me and you !
Good friend, for me and you."
PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION.
In preparing this book in its permanent form, the errors
of the press and of fact inseparable from the first issue of
so novel and comprehensive a work have been corrected,
much new matter has been added, and some of the original
text discarded, in order to keep the book within reason-
able limits, while the general plan and arrangement is the
same. The colored plates also have been rearranged and
changed, and the wood engravings largely increased, while
the maps and autographies of national songs and docu-
ments are a new and distinct feature.
The aim of the book is to perpetuate and intensify a love
for our Union, through the flag which symbolizes it. The
story of Our flag and of the Southern flags in the Civil War
show graphically the madness of the time, and w^ill, it is
hoped, serve to render the crime of secession hideous, and
afford a moral aid towards preventing a recurrence of such
fratricide against the life of the nation.
To my sensitive Southern friends who have objected to
being called ' traitors ' and ' rebels ' I would say, those words
are not intended in an offensive sense ; and I respectfully
refer them to General Jackson's opinion of nullification.
Viii I'HKKACi:.
iuhKt liis own liaml, on pai:*' ■l-')!. and to the ^rni-ial
dic-tionarv di'linitioii : — Thaiiok. •• One wlio \iolatt's liis
alk'i^iant'o ; " " ouo wlio takes amis and levies war a<^uinst
his countrv," &c. Rebel. " One wlio defies and seeks to
overthrow tlie aiitliority to which he is ri<i;litfully subject."
] tliink, under these delinitions. they must plead guilty
to both counts. They were 'hail hoys,' who barred them-
selves out, l)ut. having returned to their allegiance, all that
is forgiven ; and, having learned by experience, it is hoped
they will never again raise a hand to subvert the majesty
and authority of the Union.
Although we are comparatively a new nation, our Stars
and Stripes may to-day claim antiquity among national
flags. Tliey are older than the present flag of Great Britain,
establi.shed in 1801 ; than the present flag of Spain, estab-
lished in 1785; than the French tricolor, decreed in 1794;
than the existing flag of Portugal, established in 1830 ; than
the flag of the Empire of Germany, which represents the
sovereignty of fourteen distinct flags and States, established
in 1870; than the Italian tricolor, established in 1848; the
Swedish Norwegian ensign ; the recent flags of the old
empires of China and Japan ; or the flags of all the South
American States, which have very generally been modelled
from • Our Flag.'
1 wish to return my acknowledgments to many old
friends for their continued interest in my w^ork, who
have given me much valuable aid and information ; and
I would also thank the Hon. A. R. Spofford, Librarian
of Congress, H. A. Homes, LL.D., Librarian of the New
York State Library, Hon. William A. Courtenay, Mayor of
Charleston, S. C, Hon. Joiix F. H. Claiborne, of Natchez,
ex-Governor of Mississippi, Colonel J. P. Nicholson, of
PREFACE. ix
•Philadelphia, Miss D. L. Dix, of Washington, D. C, and
the autliors of our songs who have furnished autograph
copies of them, with many others too numerous to name
here, but whose favors have been credited elsewhere in the
text.
Cottage Farm, Bbookline, Mass.
July 4, 1880.
PREFACE TO THE THIRD EDITION.
The text of this edition is the same as that of the
second, except that a few verbal and typographical errors
have been corrected, and several pages of notes added,
bringing the matter up to date.
November 15, 1881.
PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION.
Proudhon, the French sociahst, had a peculiar manner of
proceeding in the composition of a work.
'' When an idea struck him, he would write it out at
length, generally in the shape of a newspaper article ; then
he would put it in an envelope, and whenever a new idea
occurred to him, or he obtained additional information, he
would write it on a piece of paper, and add it to the enve-
lope. When a sufficient quantity of material was assembled,
he would write an article for some review or magazine.
This article he would place in a larger envelope, and add
thoughts and information until, at last, the article became
a book ; and the day after the publication of his book^ he
would place it in a pasteboard box, and add thoughts
and additional information as he came into possession of
them."
Very much in the same way have these memoirs grown
to the size of this volume. More than twenty years since,
their compiler became interested in tracing out the first
display of Our Flag on foreign seas, and the notes he then
gathered resulted in the preparation of an article enti-
tled "The First Appearance of the Flag of the Free,"
which was published in the " Portland Daily Advertiser," in
1853, and thence extensively copied into other journals.
Around that article from time to time became concreted
Xii IMJl-FACK.
nuiiiorous addiiiuiml lacts, Nvliidi were cmljorliod in anollier
and l<>nj::er nt'\vsj)a|)i'r article on tiie same topic, lli.s in-
terest in the snhject iciew with tlie increase of knowledf^e ;
new facts were accumulated and songlit for, wherever to ])e
ohtaine(l. 'I'hc War of the Rehellion added a fresh impulse
to iiis in(|uiries, ami new and interesting^ incidents. The
result is the present volume, wliicli. il" not rendered inter-
esting" hy the graces of a practised authorship, can claim
to be a faithful record of facts.
Following the idea of Proudhon, the writer will be glad
to receive from his readers any facts, incidents, or correc-
tions, that will enable him to complete his memorial of our
grand old Hag, and help perpetuate it as the chosen em-
blem of Liberty and Union.
Collected for his own amusement and instruction, in
committing these memoirs to the public the compiler hopes
thev may interest and amuse others as much as the col-
lecting of them has himself If thej^ revive and preserve,
in the least degree, a patriotic sentiment for our starry
banner, his ambition will be accomplished, his end attained.
More than a thousand volumes have been examined in
their preparation, and an extensive correspondence has
been a necessity. I may say, therefore, to my readers, con-
sidering the score of years I have spent in the pursuit, as
Montesquieu remarked to a friend concerning a particular
part of his writings, '• You will read it in a few hours, but
I assure you it has cost me so much labor that it has
■whitened my hair."
I would express my obligations to Messrs. William J.
Caxby, William D. Gemmill, and Charles J. Lukens
of Philadelphia, and Messrs. B. J. LossiXG and Chakles
J. Busuxell of New York, for valuable suggestions and
PREFACE. xiii
facts, and particularly to Mr. John A. McAllister, who has
been unwearied in searching for and completing evidences
of facts otherwise beyond my reach. Other friends, too
numerous to mention, who have given me their assistance,
will please accept my silent acknowledgments.
In 1864, the manuscript of this book, in its then incom-
plete state, was forwarded from Lisbon, Portugal, to the
managers of the National Sailors' Fair at Boston, as a con-
tribution to that charity, which resulted in the establishment
of the National Sailors' Home at Quincy, Mass. It arrived,
however, too late to be printed for its benefit.
Naval Rendezvous, Navy Yard,
Chaklestown. Mass.
September 10, 1872.
CONTENTS.
PART I.
PAGE
The Standards, Flags, Banners, and Symbols of Ancient and Modern
Nations 1
PART II.
A.D. 860-1777.
1. The Early Discoveries of America, and the First Banner planted on its
Shores, a.d. 860-1634; 2. Colonial and Provincial Flags, 1634-1766;
3. Flags of the Pre-Revolutionary and Revolutionary Periods preceding
the Stars and Stripes, 1766-1777. 4. The Grand Union or Continental
Flag of the United Colonies 157
PART III.
The Stars and Stripes, 1777-1818.
1. Theories as to the Origin of the Stars and Stripes, as the Devices of our
National Banner ; 2. The Flag of Thirteen Stars and Stripes during the
Revolution, 1777-1783; 3. The Flag of Thirteen Stars and Thirteen Stripes,
1783-1795 ; 4. The Flag of Fifteen Stars and Fifteen Stripes, 1795-1818 . 249
PART IV.
The Stars and Stripes, 1818-1861.
1. The Flag of Thirteen Stripes and a Star for each State of the Union, 1818-
1861 ; 2. Chronicles of the Flag, 1818-1861 ....... 387
PART V.
The Stars and Stripes, 1861-1865. Our Flag in the Great Rebellion.
1. The Beginning of the War against our Flag and the Union ; 2. Our Flag at
Fort Sumter ; 3. Loyal Flag Raisings ; 4. Our Flag in Secessia ;
5. Southern Flags, 1861-1865 303
XVI CONTKN'IS.
I'Aur VI.
The Stars and Stripes. 1865-1880.
PAGE
1. Till- Knd of tlio War aji.iinst tlic riiion and the Flap; 2. Tlic Kcluni of the
Battletlnns of thr Volunteer Kepinients to tlieir States; :i The Disposition
of tlic Trophy-llags of liie War; 4. Anecdotes and Incidents illustrating
the History of our Flag, 1805-1880; 6. State Seals, Arms, Flags, and Colors 535
I'AKT Vll.
Miscellaneous.
The Distinguishing Flags and Signals of the United States Navy, 1770-
1880; 2. The Distinguishinc Flags of the United States Army, 1880;
3. The Seal and Arms of the United States, and the Seals of the De-
partments, 1782-1880 ; 4. American Yacht Clubs and Flags, 1880 ;
6. Our National and Patriotic Songs 659
INDEX 769
ILLUSTRATIONS.
COLORED PLATES.
Page
I. United States National, Revenue, and Yacht Club Ensigns and
Pennants, 1880 Face Title
II. The Flags of all Nations, 1880 1
ni. The Flags of United Germany 101
IV. The New England Colors, 1686, 1704, and 1734; and the Flag of
the " Royal Savage," 1775 . 157
V. Flags of 1775-1777 193
VI. Southern Flags, 1861-1864 393
VII. Returning the Flags of the Pennsylvania Volunteer Regiments
to Independence HaU, Philadelphia, 1865 533
VIIL Distinctive Flags of the United States Navy, 1776-1880 .... 657
IX. Signal Flags, Pennants, &c., United States Navy, 1880 .... 677
X. American Yacht Club Flags, 1880 701
Portrait of Elk an ah Watson, engraved on steel, from a paint-
ing by Copley, and showing the first Stars and Stripes raised in
England, 1783 296
WOOD ILLUSTRATIONS.
No.
1. Pulaski's Banner
2. Flag of Washington's Life Guard .
3. Simon de Montfort's Banner . . .
4. Cromwell's Bannerol
5. Cromwell's Funeral Ensigns, &c.
6. The Pennon
7. Daubernoun's Pennon, 1277 . . .
8. The Pavon
9. Ensigns from the Bayeux Tapestry .
10. The Gonfanon
11. An Ancient Ship
12. French Vessel of War, 16th Centurj'
13. Ship of Henrv VI.'s Time, 1430-61 .
14. The Mora, 1066
15. Siiip of the Earl of Warwick, 1437 .
16. The Harry Grace de Dieu, 1515 . .
17. English Ship of War, 1520 ....
18. The Sovereign of the Seas, 1637 . .
19. A Knight of Malta
20. Hospitaller's Standard
21. A Knight Templar
22. A Templar in a Travelling Dress
23. A Knights Templar Standard . . .
24. The Beauceant
25. Isis
26. Egyptian Standards
27. Standards of Pharaoh
28. Egyptian Standards, from Wilkinson
29. The Horse and the Grasshopper . .
30. Death's-head and Crescent ....
31. Standards and Devices of the He-
brews
32. Two Assyrian Standards ....
33. The Device of Romulus
34. Roman Standards
35. A Bronze Horse, Roman Standard .
36. Group of Eleven Roman Imperial
Standards
37. The Lal^arum of Constantine . . .
38. The Hand
39. The Doseh
40. The Crescent and Cross united, 1876
41. Tien Huang and the Dragon . . .
42. Okl Imperial Standard of .Japan . .
43. Imperial Arms of .Japan, 1880 . . .
44. The Banner of Cortez
45. A Spanish Standard, 1558 ....
46. Banner of Balboa
47. The Roval Standard of Russia . .
48. Russian Flag, 1386
49. Old East India Flag of Portugal . .
50. Banner of Charlemagne
51. Three Banners of St. Denis . . .
52. The Oritlamme
53. The Bourbon Standard
54. A French Eagle
55. Head of a French Standard, 1878 .
56. The Royal Arms of England, 1066-
1880
57. The Arms of London, ad. 44 . .
9
10
15
17
17
18
19
19
21
22
24
26
27
28
29
31
32
34
43
44
46
47
47
48
48
49
50
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
62
66
72
78
78
82
90
95
96
99
104
105
105
107
117
117
118
119
No. Page
58. The Three Saxes or Swords of
Essex, .530 121
59. Eleanor of Guyenne 126
60. Margaret, Daughter of Henry III.,
1252 . : 127
61. Standard of Edward III., 1337 . . 128
62. The Crest of the Black Prince . . 1.30
63. Standard of Henry IV 131
64. Standard of Edward IV 133
65. Two Standards of Henry VIII. . 136
66. Standard of Henrv VIlL, 1544 . 1.36
67. Standard of the Douglas, 1382 . 141
68. Arms of Henry V. of England . . 143
69. The Formation of the Union Flag of
Great Britain 149
70. A Union Device of 1800 .... 1.50
71. The Shields of St. George, St. An-
drew, and St. Patrick .... 151
72. Nelson's Signal at Trafalgar . . 155
73. A Northman Vessel, 860-1014 . . 159
74. Standard of Spain, 1492 .... 168
75. The Caravel of Columbus . . . 169
76. Banner of Columbus 169
77. Ptaleigh's Ship. 1.585 174
78. Formation of the Union Colors of
1606 176
79. The Long Parliament Flag, 1648 . 177
80. Standard of tiie Three County
Troop, 1659 ^ 182
81. Colors of Captain Xoyes's Com-
pany, 1684 183
82. The King's Colors at New York, 1679 184
83. St. Georsre's Cross, 1679 . ... 185
84. Colonial Merchant Flag, 1701 . . 186
85. Six Flags from the "Dominion of
the Sea," 1705 188
86. Pavilion de la Nouvelle Angleterre
en Ameri(|ue, 1737 189
87. Bas-relief c,f Boston Liberty Tree . 194
88. Colonial Seal of New Netherland . 197
89. Bunker's Hill Flag 199
90. Boston North Battery, &c., show-
ing Flags of 1775 " 200
91. The Pine Tree Flag. 1776 ... 201
92. American Floating Battery, 1775 . 202
93. Flag of the Pennsylvania West-
moreland County" Brigade, 1775 205
94. The Cowpens and Eutaw Flag . . 207
95. Rattlesnake Device 214
96. Flag of the Roval Savatfo. 1776 . 219
97. Flag destroyed at Cheapside, 1644 . 220
98. East India ('ompanv'sEnsiiin, 1704 221
99. East India Company's Ensign, 18.34 221
100. Commodore Hopkins, &e., 1776 . 222
101. Formation of the Grand Union Flag
of 1776 223
102. Flag of the Dutch West India Com-
pany 224
103. Fac-simile of Washington's Book-
plate 225
XX
WUUlJ ILIA.VIKATIUN.V
N... Taob
104. Amorican V\t\n at While Ploinit,
ITTtl 240
105. Tlif Slaw aiul .SiriiH-N 1777-1880,
mill till' i>ri>iM.«.<l Stniuliinl . . 248
lOG. Staiitiiird of liio riiiIa(U'l|>liiii Citv
Tr.M)|.. 1775 252
107. Tlif \h-\kv 25:{
KW. Thr I'lirv^'ian Cap 254
l«r.t. A liiioirDfvi..-. I77ii 264
110. lloiiM' wluTi' Kir>I .Star> niid .Strii>es
art' sail! to have Ih-oii mailo . . 205
111. Dia^niin of a I'liioii 272
112. Old SwciU's' Chunh. rhila<l(lpliia . 237
113. A l-'Ia^of the Bon Iloinnie Kii-lianl,
177!i 282
114. Silk Klagdisjilaj-ed at New Maveii,
17H.1 288
115. Tlic Hark Maria, 18.W 200
116. A Medal, l)i>eov.'iv of the Colum-
bia i:iver. 1787 ■ 302
117. Stoniii^rtnii lla;r, 1814 327
118. Fla>,'of the Knlcri.risc, 1813. . . 327
119. I'ortrait of Sainl. ('. Keid . . . 33'J
120. Desifjn for a National Standard,
1818 343
121. Fac-simile of an Enjrravini;of 1785 340
122. Diaj^rani of Stars in a Union, 17!(5 347
123. Two iJia.urains of tlie Unions of
Navy Fiafjs. 1818 349
124. Joel K. Poinsett and our Flag in
Mexico, 1825 352
125. " The Warders r>f the Antarctic " 357
1^6. The Schooner FIviiig Fish beset . 3.59
127. The Antarctic Contiiient .... 364
128. Arctic Expedition Flag, 1801 . . 387
129. Prof. S. F. B. Morse's Suirgestion . 403
130. State Mouse Montgonierv,'Ala., 1861 406
131. Fort Sumter, S.C.,180() .... 417
132. Raising the Flag at Sumter, Dec.
26. 1860 420
1.33. Steamer Star of the West, 1861 . 425
134. Nailing the Flag to the Staff . . 440
135. Ke|)ossession of Fort Sumter, April
14, 1865 4.52
1.36. Portrait of Barbara Frietdiie . . 482
137. Barbara Frietdiie's House . . . 483
1.38. Street Flag-stalT, Charleston, S. C. 495
139. Banner of the South Carolina Con-
vention 496
140. Banner of South Carolina. 1861 . 408
141. The Pelican Flag. I^ouisiana . . 498
142. The Confederate States Seal . . . .525
143. F'iremen Saluting the Flag, 1867 . 590
144. Stanley meeting Livingstone . . 597
145. Pennsylvania Battle-Hags in Pro-
cession, .lune 17, 1879 .... 601
146. Anns of Maine 606
147. Arms of New Hampshire .... 006
148. .Seal of Vennont 008
149. Arms of Massachusetts .... 609
1.50. „ Rhode I>Iand .... Oil
151. „ Connecticut 012
152. „ New York '. 014
153. „ New Jersey 617
No.
154.
1.55.
1.50.
157.
158.
1.59.
160.
101.
102.
103.
104.
105.
106.
107.
108.
109.
170.
171.
172.
173.
174.
17.5.
170.
177.
178.
179.
180.
181.
1.S2.
183.
184.
185.
180.
187.
188.
189.
190,
191.
192.
193.
194.
195.
196.
197.
198.
199.
200.
201.
202.
203.
204.
205.
206.
Paci
Arms of Pennsylvania .... 018
,, I tela ware 021
,, Maryland 622
,, Virginia 023
„ West Virginia .... 025
,. North Carolina .... 626
South Carolina .... 628
,, Louisiana 634
,, Texas 635
,, Arkansa.s 037
,, Tennessee . . (538
„ Kentucky . . 638
„ Ohio. ." . . 040
,, Michigan . )i42
,, Mi«souri . •i45
„ Iowa (i46
,, Wisconsin 047
,, Minnesota 048
,, California 048
,, Kansas 0.50
,, Nebraska 051
,, Colorado 0.52
Seal of Utah 6.53
Seal of New Mexico 053
F'lag of the Naval Commander-in-
Chief, 1770
Dav Siirnals U. S. Navv, 180-3-4 .
Night Signals U. S. Navy, 1803-4
Day Signals U. S. Navy, 1812-14
Perr\''s Battle Flag ."....
Day"Signals U. S. Navy, 1858-65.
Anny Signals, 1862
United States Seal commonly used
l)u Simitiere's Design for U. S. Seal
Jefferson's Design, 1776, obverse
and reverse
Design submitted 1779, obverse and
reverse
Design submitted 1880, obverse and
reverse
Barton's Design. 1782
The (Jn-at Seal of the I'nited States,
adopted June 20, 1782, obverse
and reverse
The President's Seal ....
Franklin's I'ost-Hider ....
Naval Seal, 1779
Navv Department Seal, 1879
War" Department Seal, 1778-1880
Treasury Department Seal, 1778-
1880"
State Department Seal . . .
Department ot'tlie Interior Seal
Dejiartnient of Justice Seal .
( 'imnnodore's ( 'hallenge Cup .
The America's Cup ....
Yacht Henrietta
The Author of 'Hail Columbia,'
with the House in which it was
Written, and the Theatre in
which it was first Sung . . .
The Original ' Star-Spangled Ban-
ner'
Bombardment of Fort McHenry .
659
660
601
663
663
666
667
683
683
684
686
687
687
691
697
0!t7
098
698
098
699
099
099
699
701
709
711
ri4
721
724
HEPv.iLDIC COLORS OF THE ENGRAVINGS OF FLAGS.
Red. Perpendicular lines.
Blue. Horizontal lines.
Black. Vertical crossi-d by horizontal lines.
Green. Diagonal lines froin left to right.
Purnle. Diagonal lines from right to left.
Yellow. Black dots on white.
White. A plain white field.
MAPS AXD AUTOGRAPHIES.
XXI
MAPS.
No. Page
1. Map of Vineland 163
2. Map of North America, 1500 ... 172
3 Reinel's Map of Nova Scotia, &c.,
1504 172
No. Page
4. Map of the Antarctic Continent . . 363
5. Map showing the Progress of our Flag
towards the North Pole .... 389
6. Map of Charleston Harbor .... 418
AUTOGRAPHIES.
No. Page
1. Bills of the Philadelphia City Troop
Standard, September, 1775 . . . 257
2. Letter of James Mevler 281
3. H. W. Longfellow,' 'The Stars and
Stripes Everywhere ' 290
4. Signature of Saml. C. Reid. . . . 339
5. Signatureof Joel R. Poinsett . . . 352
6. Andrew Jackson on Nulbtication,
1833 354
7. John A. Dix's ' Shoot him on the
Spot ' Order, Jan. 21, 1861 ... 399
8. John G. Whittier, a Verse of Barbara
Frietchie 485
9. H. W. Longfellow, ' The Ship of
State' 542
No. Page
10. Jos. Hopkinson, Signature . . . . ri4
11. Jos. Hopkinson, ' Hail Columbia,' 717, 718
12. F. S. Key, 'The Star-Spangled
Banner ' 720
13. O. W. Holmes, Additional Verse to
' The Star-Spangled Banner ' . .730
14. Samuel Francis Smith, ' America ' 742, 743
15. Francis de Haes Janvier, ' God Save
our President ' 744-746
16. Thomas a Becket, ' Columbia the
Gem of the Ocean ' . . . . 756, 757
17. Francis Miles Finch, ' The Blue and
the Gray ' 759, 760
18. Julia Ward Howe, 'Battle-Hymn of
the Republic ' 767, 768
■PLU
FLAGS OF FOREIGN NATIONS. 18 80
GREAT BRITAIN
ROnU. ST«MDAIIO
Lonij KibK >DMm*L
^IL^
EUROPEAN STATES
GERMANY
I OF WM I MLCRCHANT ]| FRANCt
2<
MAN or WAR I MERCHANT
NORWAr
■AM or WAR
MERCHANT
MAN or WAR
r
I MA
DENMARK
r
MAN OF WAR
AMERICAN STATES.
ADMIRAL SRAZI.
s«
US.OFCOUJMeh
VCWt^UILA
o
I
a
1 WPUUU.
ORIENTAL NATIONS
WPUUU.
PACIFIC ISLAND
ffl
jAOHIRAUMAUa
'^
USTOM HOUU
f
SAN SALVADOK
w
auArtk
1ALA
1^
PARAOUAV ADMIRAL
^i'
AFRI CA.
ORANGE FREE STATE
TfioseS/offxnmj^ed * arrmart o/'u-wJ^iifs, MenJtanl/nen fim-e same tvtOiOuilhe arms ordmcf,eirF/ot Sim Sajiti/ior, n'/tit/i /las rime
ii-hi/f stars m i7.s Fnwn .
PART I.
♦ —
THE SYMBOLS, STANDARDS, FLAGS, AND BANNERS
OF ANCIENT AND MODERN NATIONS.
" Ct is in anti tijrougf) sgmbols tfjnt man consciouslg or unrongriouslj
Ktirs, mofars, nnti ijns Ijis bring. iEl)osr ages, morcobcr, arc arronntrt)
ti)c noblest faoljiclj ran best rccognnc sumfaoUcal tnortij anli prijc it at tijc
^'5^^'^^'" Carlyle.
" ©ut of monumrnts, names, iuortics, profacrbrs, prifaatc rccortics anli cbi=
iJcncES, fragments of stories, passages of books, anlj ttje like, toe toe safae
anlJ recober somebafjat from tlje tieluge of time." Bacon
" iBang tfjings eontainet) in tljis book arc no ot|)er f^an eollections of
ot()er autt)ors, antj mo labor is no more tf)ercin tfjan tfieirs bof)0 gather a
barieto of flotoers out of sefaeral garbens to compose one sigf)tlg garlanb."
Sir AVm. Moxson.
" ©reat room t!)cre is for amcntiments, as bell as atitiitions. lEitfjer of
tljrsr, in bol^at bress socbcr tl[)eg come, rougfj or smootf), liiill be Ijeartilg toeU
come."
A HISTORY
FLAG or THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,
WITH A CHRONICLE OF THE SYiiPGJ.£^ STANDARDS, FLAGS,
AND BANNERS OF ANCIEN'T/:&NP\%0D£RN 'ivli^TIONS.
Symbols and colors enabling nations to distinguish themselvfes from
each other have from the most' re-m'ote periods exercised a"powerfid
influence upon mankind. It isaf^-et well established both by sacred
and profane history that a standard or -ensign vrai borhe in the armies
of all nations from the most distarlt eh. A coiored Banner was one
of the earliest, as it was the simplest, of military e'Qsigns. As tribes
and nations multiplied, these banners naturally became particolored
by stripes and other linear divisions, and finally emblazoned with the
devices of the several chieftains. Thus these symbols, which during
peaceful times were but trivial ornaments, became in political or re-
ligious disturbances a lever like that of Archimedes, and convulsed
the world.
Before commencing the memoir of the flag which this volume com-
memorates, I propose to notice some of the symbols, standards, and
banners of other nations. History, in general, has failed to appreciate
the value of these symbols, which have given ascendancy to party,
and led armies to victory with more certainty and despatch than all
the combinations of tactics and the most disinterested valor.
We talk of the eagles of the Eomans, of the contest between the
crescent and the cross, and of the wars of the white and red roses ; of
the meteor flag of England, and of the cross of St. George ; of the
white plume and banner of Henry IV., and the lilies and tricolor of
France ; and of our own starry banner, which, said Edward Everett
(May 27, 1861), "speaks for itself Its mute eloquence needs no
4 THE SVMUoLS, SIWN 1 )Ai;i )S. AND P.ANNKKS
aid It) iMU'r]iivi iis si^iniicuiiLi'. IkU'IiI} lo Lliu L uioii lilazes I'rom
its stars, alk-giauce tu the yovuiiiiiieiit beueath wliicli we live is
wraiijjed iu its folds."
Tlie tassels which are customarily pendent Ironi the up])er ])art of
niililarv liauners and standards, and the fringes whicli surnnind tiieni,
have their origin in sacred emblems, which, passing from gentile,
mosaic, pagan, and Christian banners and sacerdotal garments, have
finally crei)t upon profane standards and dresses. The high-priests
of Brahma, Baal, Osiris, Mithras, Jehovah, the priestesses of Vesta,
Isis, Lucinia, Ceres, and Diana, were adorned with tassels, fringes,
ribbons, and colors consecrated to their respective worships. When
Moses had abj,ure(jl' tlie godsof Egypt, his native country, to follow
the Jehovah^^ of ,Hidian, :b§ .wrpte^ a ritual, bidding pomegranates of
blue, of pjn'p'li?, o-iid of soarl?v,' alternating with golden bells, to be
placed abdut the hem of the blue robe of Aaron, to minister in the
priest's office (Exodus xxviii. 31-35). The pomegranates were some-
times figured by tassels. The Mosaic la^\• bade the Israelites to border
their gailuents with fringes and blue ribands, as being, in their eyes, a
remembl;^'jice* .against lusting (NuFjfcrs xv. 38, 39). Thus early was
blue the eiableni of purity and innocence. The Pojies having wedded
the Jewish aM, ijeutlren rites yith the Christian worship, the Christian
prelates adopted ,ttie,''pagan garments with tassels. Hence the warlike
priests of Christ,' on- their ]»etiirn from the crusades, having assumed ar-
morial bearings, the sacred tassels became the badge of prelacy iu eccle-
siastical armories. The archbishops had their shields suimounted with
a green chajpeau, or hat, with tassels, interlaced by several rows of cordon
or strings, pendent on both sides. The green color w^as the symbol of a
See, which never dies, or always revives as foliage regenerates. The
chapcau, or cardinal's hat, with the same tassels, is of scarlet, the
emblematic hue of the criminal court of the Holy Inquisition. The
tassels, having passed into proiane customs, became ornaments for na-
tional standards, which were often blessed by the priests, and for royal
girdles or cordelieres. These were a silk or gold cord, terminating in
two heav}'^ tassels of the form of pomegranates, and a fringe, with which
the royal robe of kings and queens is fastened around the waist.
Our English word, Flag, — which iu Danish is the same, in Swedish
Jtayg, in German flwjrjc, in Teutonic and Old French flackc, Icelandic
jiaka, Belgian Jlack, flak, — signifying that which hangs down loosely,
is said to be derived from the early use of rushes for streamers, and
also from an Anglo-Saxon word meaning " to fly," because the light
material of which it is made is floated or lifted by every breeze.
OF ANCIENT AXD MODERN NATIONS. 5
In modem j)arlance, under the generic name of flag is included
standards, ancients or ensigns, banners, bannerolls, pavons, colors,
streamers, pennons, pennoncelles, gonfanons, guidons, coronetts or cor-
onells ( hence the title of colonel), and the like.
A flag is defined by the ' London Encyclopedia ' as " a small banner
of distinction used in the army, and stuck in a baggage-wagon, to
distinguish the baggage of one brigade from another, and of one bat-
talion from another." It, however, properly denotes in our time the
colors worn at the mastheads of national vessels to mark the rank or
quality of the pei-son commanding a squadron or fleet. The admiral
of a squadron or fleet is styled the flag-ofiicer, from the square flag-
hoisted at one of the mastheads of the vessel on which he is em-
barked, and which denotes to the re?t,of the fleet his presence there,
and causes his ship to be designated as "tije* fiag-sliip.", , ,
The first fiag of Great Britain, generally known as the Eoyal stand-
ard, is a square flag, blazoned with the arms of the United Kingdom.
When hoisted at the masthead it denotes that the sovereign, or some
member of the royal family, is embarked on board the vessel : or, when
hoisted on the flag-staff over a residence, wherever they'oiay be on
shore. The royal salute for this flag_is twenty-one guns.
The second fl,ag, that of the lord high admijal, ox of,'' tne commis-
sioners performing the duties of that high office,'^ is '•' a crimson ban-
ner," with " an anchor argent gorged in the arm with a coronet and a
cable through the ring fretted in a true lover's knot with the ends
pendant."
Thus it was carried by the Earl of Southampton in the reign of
Henry VIIL, and by the Earl of Lincoln in the time of Mary, except
that he bore the stem and flukes of the anchor argent, the ring and
stock or, and the cable azure. The Duke of Buckingham used the
anchor with cable entwined, all or, much as it is now. In the reign
of Charles 11. , the Duke of York placed his arms on an anchor sur-
mounted by his coronet. Among the first acts of Charles II., after his
restorati(jn to the throne, was one declaring his brother the Duke of
York lord high admiral, on the 4th of June, 1660. The Duke, having
hoisted his flag on board the Eoyal Charles, put to sea on the 25th of
April, 1665, with a squadron of fourteen sail, besides five ships and
smaller vessels, and met and defeated the fleet of Holland under Op-
dam on the 3d of June. On the commencement of tlie second Dutch
war, the Duke again hoisted his flag on board the St. Michael, and en-
gaging the great De Ruyter's ship, the St. ]\Iichael was reduced almost
to a wreck, when he shifted his flag to the Eoyal London, and was
successful
G rili: SVMI'.dl.S. SlANhAKDS. AND IIANNKKS
Tlie (luly aiotuiil we Imvc ol' the (lag of tlic lonl liigli admiral
beiii" carried at sea Iiy an iiulividiial ikjI of the blijud ruyal is in the
Memoii-s ol" Sir dohii Leake, whicli say, "The Earl of Berkeley being
then (21st -March, 171'J) vice-admiral of Great IJritain, and first lord
commissioner of tlie admiralty, endeavored to come as near the lord
high admiral as possible lioth in power and state; liy a particular
warrant from the crown he hoisted the lord high admiral's flag, and
had three captains ai)pointed under him as lord high admiral, Little-
ton, then vice-admiral of the white, being his first captain." The Earl
of Berkeley was one of fortune's favorites. As Lord Dursley, at the
age of twenty he commanded the Lichfield, 50, it being his second
command. Wl)wr,lwe'nty-t>hree he commanded the Boyne, 80; at
twenty-sevqn 'h&/i^as vicV^dbiiml of the blue, and a few months
afterward. yice''{tvrpMrul' bf the^Uyltitfej and the following year, being
then only tVeiity-eight, vice-ddiiiirai of the red. At the age of
thirty-eight he hoisted his flag gn the- Dorsetshire as lord high ad-
miral, being -then actually vice-adrniraL of England and first lord of
the adrnil^tky. He died near Iloclioile, .in France, Aug. 17, 1730, aged
fifty-five: '.%•'• "^ .'/•'."' ."
The iortniigli admiral's flag is-'^ehtitled to a salute of nineteen guns.
The //i»Yt- /(!((//;• tliat; of the .IvprcJ' Lieutenant of Ireland, is the Union
Jack, having .m'Wie .'centre of' the crosses a blue .shield emblazoned
with a golden harp.. . Tins' flag is worn at the main of any ship in
which his Excellency may embark Avithin the Irish waters or in St.
George's Channel, and is entitled to the same salute as that of the
lord high admiral.
The fourth Jla(j, the Union, or Union Jack, in which are blended
the crosses of St. George, St. Andrew, and St. Patrick, eml)lematic
of the United Kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland, is
appropriated to the admiral of the fleet of the United Kingdom, and
is worn at the main, and entitled to a salute of seventeen guns.
Somewhere before 1692, Sir Francis Wheeler, Knt., a rear-admiral,
sent to command in chief in the West Indies, was granted the privi-
lege of wearing " the Union flag " at the maintop-masthead " as soon as
he was clear of soundings. " ^
Fifth in rank is the cross of St. George, a white flag with a red
cross, the sign of the old crusaders, now worn by the admirals of the
royal navy at the main, by vice-admirals at the fore, and by rear-
admirals at the mizzen mastheads of their respective ships. Lentil
1864, Great Britain had admirals, and vice and rear admirals of the
1 Schomberg's Naval Chronology, vol. v. i>. 227.
OF A^X'IEXT AND MODERN NATIONS. 7
red, white, and blue. By an act of Parliament of that year, the red
ensign was given up to the use of the merchant marine, the blue
ensign assigned to merchant and packet ships commanded by the
officers of the newly organized naval reserve or naval militia, and the
white ensign alone reserved for the royal navy. The salute of an
admiral in the royal navy is fifteen, of a vice-admiral thirteen, and
of a rear-admiral eleven guns.
Merchant vessels frequently carry small flags at their mastheads,
bearing the arms, monograms, or devices of their owners or command-
ers, or designating the province or port to which the vessel belongs.
The flag of the President of the United States, hoisted at the main,
and denoting his presence on board a vessel of war, is appropriately
the National Eiisign, the flag of the sovereign people of whom he is
the popular representative, and from whom he derives power and
authority.
The Vice-President and members of the Cabinet (the Secretary of
the Xavy excepted) are also designated by the national flag worn at
the fore during their presence on board a vessel of war, and it always
floats at the Capitol over the Senate-Chamber and House of Piepre-
sentatives whenever those bodies are in session, — a custom followed
in all or most of the States of the Union whenever their legislative
bodies are in session.
A special mark for the Secretary of the Navy, established in 1866,
was a square blue flag having a white foul anchor placed vertically
in the centre with four white stars surrounding it, one in each corner
of the flag. By an order dated 1869, this flag became obsolete, and
the Union Jack was ordered to be hoisted at the main whenever he
embarked on board a vessel of the navy; but the flag of 1866 was
restored by another order on the 4th of July, 1876.
The first rear-admiral's flag in our navy was a plain blue flag, such
as had been used by the rank of flag-officer before the introduction of
admirals to the service. This flag was, by law, required to be worn
at the main by the three senior rear-admirals, at the fore by the next
three in seniority, and at the mizzen by the three junior rear-admirals,
and was first hoisted at the main on board the Hartford, in 1862,
by Piear- Admiral Farragut, who had previously, as flag-officer, earned
it at the fore.^ The absurdity of a rear-admiral's wearing liis flag at
1 I have in my possession this flag, whii-li was worn by Flag-Offic-er Farragut at tlio
passage of the forts below New Orleans, and lioisted on the Hartford on his promotion to
rear-admiral. Later, the two stars were added to it. The admiral presented the flag to
Lieut. D. G. McRitchie, U.S.N., who gave it to me in 1S75.
8 'llIK S^Ml'.ol.S, SIANDAKI'S. AND r.A\\i:i:S
the foro or main was so tiiiitiaiy tn the cu.sLoiii ol' ollu-r nations, that,
l»y thi' suggestion of lion. JI. II. Dana, Jr., the next ('(ingress repealed
the law, after which a .square Hag hoisted at the niiz/en, blue, red,
or white, according to the seniority of the ollicer, was adojited. In
18t>(j, after the introduction of the grades of admiral and vice-admiral,
the device atlo])ted for the admiral was four five-pointed white stars
arranged as a diamond in a Line iield, to be hoisted at the main. Vor
the vice-admiral, three white stars arranged as an equilateral triangle
on a blue field, to be hoisted at the fore. For rear-ad nurals, a scjuare
flag, blue, red, or white, according to seniority, at the inizzen, with
two stars placed vertically in the centre of the flag. The color of
the stars to be white when the flag was blue or red, and Idue wlien
the flag was white. The commodore's broad pennants were swallow-
tailctl flags, the same in color according to their seniority as the rear-
admiral's Hags. From the organization of our navy until the regu-
lation of 1866 they had been studded with a constellation of stars
equal in number to the States of the Union, by the regulations then
established only one star in the centre was to be emblazoned on their
field.
In 1869, a radical change was made in the flags of our admirals
and commodores; square flags, with thirteen alternate red and white
stripes, were then prescribed for all grades of admirals, their position
on the fore, main, or mizzen mast showing whether the officer was
an admiral, vice, or a rear admiral; and if two rear-admirals should
happen to meet in the same port in command, then the junior was
directed, while in the presence of his senior, to wear two red stars
perpendicular in a white canton on the upper luff of his flag. T^Jie
commodore's pendant was swallow-tailed, but otherwise like the
admiral's flag, and w'orn at the main (u- fore, according to seniority,
when more than one were in port together. The order of Jan. 6,
1876, restored the flags of 1866 on our centennial birthday.
Each of the States of our Union and most of the Territories have
flags of their owm, generally of one color, white, blue, or red, and
blazoned with the arms of the State. This flag is carried by the State
militia into battle or on parade side by side with the national stand-
ard. We shall treat of these under an appropriate heading.
An interesting relic of the American revolution is the banner of
Count Pulaski, presented to him by the Moravian Sisters of Beth-
lehem, Penn., in 1778. Count Pulaski was appointed a brigadier in
the Continental army on the loth of September, 1777, just after the
battle of the Brandywine, and given the command of the cavalry.
OF ANCIENT AND MODERN NATIONS.
9
He resigned that command in a few months, and obtained permis-
sion to raise and command an independent corps, to consist of 68
horse and 200 foot, which was chiefly levied and fully organized in
Baltimore in 1778. Pulaski visited Lafayette while wounded, and
was a recipient of the care and hospitality of the Moravian Sisters at
Bethlehem, Penn. His presence and eventful history made a deep
impression upon that community, and, when informed that he was
organizing a corps of cavalry, they prepared a banner of crimson silk,
with designs beautifully \vrought with the needle by their own hands,
and sent it to Pulaski, with their blessing. The memory of this event
has been embalmed in beautiful verse by Longfellow.
Pulaski received the banner with grateful acknowledgments, and
bore it gallantly through many a martial scene, until he fell at
Savannah, in the autumn of 1779. His banner was saved by his
first lieutenant, who received fourteen wounds, and delivered to
Captain Bentalon, who, on retiring from the army, took the banner
home with him to Baltimore. It was in the procession that wel-
comed Lafayette to that city in 1824, and was then deposited in
Peale's Museum, where it was ceremoniously received by young ladies
of the city. Mr. Edmund Peale presented it to the Mar}iland Histor-
ical Society in 1844, where it is carefully preserved in a glass case.
Little of its pristine beauty remains. It is composed of double silk,
now faded to a dull brownish red. The designs on each side are em-
broidered with yellow silk, the letters shaded with green, and a deep
bullion fringe ornaments the edge. The size of the banner is twenty
inches square. It was attached to a lance when borne in the field.
On one side of the banner are the letters U. S., and in a circle
around them the words Unitas Virtus Forcior, — Union makes valor
stronger. The letter c in the last
word is incorrect, it should be t.
On the other side, in the centre, is
the all-seeing eye, with the words
NoN Alius PtEciT, — " No other gov-
erns."
Another interesting Revolutionary
« «•" »"" "-^^ relic is the flag of Washington's Life
Pulaski's Banner. Guard, which is preserved in the
Museum of Alexandria, Va. It is of white silk, on which the device
is neatly painted. One of the guard is holding a horse, and in the
act of receiving a uag from the Genius of Liberty personified as a
woman leaning upon the L^nion shield, near which is an American
^>e>
10
'riii: s^Mi'.oLs, siAM)Ai:i)s, and i;anm:i:s
eagle. Tlie motto of the corps, Conqueu cm Dii:, i.s on a ribbon over
the lU'vice. This Life (luartl was a distinct corps of mounted men,
attached to the person of Washington,
Imt never spared in battle. It was or-
ganized in 177G, soon after the siege of
Boston, wliilc the American army Ma;?
encami)ed near tlie city ol' New York. It
consisted of a major's connnand ; viz., one
hundred and eighty men, and its chief
bore tlie title of Captain Commandant.
The uniform of the guard consisted of a
blue coat with white facings, white waist-
coat and breeches, Ijlue lialf-gaiters, and
a cocked hat with a white plume. They
carried muskets, and occasionally side-arms. Care was taken to have
all the States from which the Continental army was supplied witli
troops represented in this corps.
Flag of the Washington Life Guard.
BANK'ERS, BANDEROLES, GUIDONS, PENNONS,
ENSIGNS, ETC.
Several varieties of flags were formerly employed, indicating by
their form and size the rank of the bearer. The use of many of these,
however, has become obsolete ; but, as frequent allusion is made to
them in history and in ancient ballads, it is necessary that the modern
reader should be acquainted with the names and significations of these
flags of former times.
A passage in ' Marmion ' alludes to several flags now fallen into
disuse.
" Nor marked tlicy loss, whore in the air
A thousand streamers flaunted fair ;
Various in shape, device, and hue, —
Green, sanguine, jiurph", red, and blue,
Broad, naiTow, swallow-tailed, and square,
Scroll, pennon, pensil, bandrol, there
O'er the pavilions flew.
Highest and midmost was descried
The Royal banner, floating wide ;
The stafl", a pine-tree strong and straight,
Pitched deeply in a massive stone
Which still in memory is shown.
OF ANCIENT AND MODERN NATIONS. H
Yet beneath the standard's weight,
Whene'er the western wind unrolled,
With toil, the huge and cumbrous fold.
It gave to view the dazzling field,
Where, in proud Seotliuid's royal shield,
The ruddy lion ramped in gold." ^
Banner — in Dutch, hanierc ; French, hanniere ; German, hanner ;
Spanish, handcra ; Italian, handiera ; Swedish, hancr — signifies in
these languages a flag, the emblem of a bond-roll or bond-sign, the
sign of union, the standard under which men were united or bound
for some common purpose.
Some derive the etymology of the name from the Latin handum,
a band or flag ; others, from the German ban, a rallying-point, a field,
a tenement, because only landed men were allowed a banner ; others,
again, believe it a corruption of ixtnnicrc, from i^annus, cloth, because
banners were originally made of cloth. The Germans are said to
have fastened a streamer to a lance, which the duke carried in front
of the army, and which was called land ; afterwards, a large cloth was
used, ornamented with emblems and inscriptions.
Knights wore a pointed flag or pennon. A squire's mark was a long
pennant similar to the coach -whip pennant of modern ships of war.
Bannerets were of a rank above a simple knight, and yet below that
of a baron, and carried a knight's pennon slit at the end. Barons
were usually created on a battle-field, when the candidate presented
his pennon to the king or general, who cut oft^ the train of it, and thus
making it square, returned it to him as the symbol of his increased
rank. Thenceforward the knight was entitled to emblazon his arms
upon a square shield, and was styled a Knight Banneret. Barnes, in
his ' Wars of Edward III.,' writes that, before the battle of Xagera,
Lord John Chandos brought his pennon to Edward the Black Prince,
requesting to hoist it as a l^anner. The Prince took the flag, and,
having torn off the tail, returned it, saying, "Sir John, behoW, here
is your banner ; God send you much joy and honor with it." From
these customs may be traced the coach-whip and broad pennants worn
by commanding officers of ships, and of commodores, and the square
flags of the admirals of our own and foreign navies.
The banner has been made to assume almost every shape a paral-
lelogram so small could be converted into. As a rule, in banners of
cognizance or individual escutcheons, its size bore relation to the ranlc
of the owner; thus the banner of an earl was larger than that of
a baron, and the baron's larger than that of a banneret. At first,
^ Sir Walter Scott's Marmion, Canto III., 28.
12 Illi: SYMIJOI.S. SIANDAKDS, AM) I'.AN.NKKS
banucTs were plain or of seveiiil colors, l»ut they were early orna-
menteil with devices of men and animals, and finally used as a Hying
shield, to display the blazonry of the bearer, the syndjols oi' a nation,
or the heraldry of a particular order, or of a department of the State.
The banner, says JJurke.^ is coeval with the introduction of her-
ahlry, and dates from the twelfth century. The l)anner was of a
square form, and served as a rallying-poiut for the divisions of which
the army was composed. Judging from the siege of Carleverock,^ as
early as the fourteenth century there was a banner to every twenty-
five or thirty men at arms, and tlnis the battle array was marshalled.
At that period the English forces comprised tenants m ccqntc of
the crown, M-ith their followers ; and such tenants were entitled
to lead their contingent under a banner of their arms. When the
tenant in ccqnte was unable to attend in person, from illness or other
cause, he sent his quota of soldiers and archers which the tenure of
his lands enjoined, and his banner was committed to the charge of a
deputy of rank equal to his own. Thus, at Carleverock, the Bishop
of Durham sent one hundred and sixty of his men at arms, with his
banner, intrusted to John de Hastings ; and Edmund, Lord d'P2yn-
court, who could not attend himself, sent his two brave sons in his
stead with his banner of blue biletee of gold, wdth a dancettee over
all. The right to bear a banner was confined to bannerets and per-
sons of higher rank. According to the roll of Carleverock, the ban-
ners of the principal nobles were made of silk. The banner of the
Earl of Lincoln is described as
" Of saffron silk his banner good,
Whereon a purple li(ni stood ; "
and the banner of Hugh de Vere, the younger son of the Earl of
Oxford, " As a banner both long and wide, of good silk, and not of
1 Burke's Heraldic Register, 1849-50.
- The ' Siege of Carleverock ' is the title of a poem descriptive of the banners of the
l>eers and knights of the English army who were present at the siege of Carleverock Cas-
tle, in Scotland, in Febraary, 1301. This roll or poem was first iirinted in 1779, in the
second edition of tlie 'Antiquarian Repertoiy,' from the MS. in the Cottonian collection,
but with a text "as corrupt," says Sir Harris Nicolas, "as imfortunate." In 1828, the
work was edited by Sir H. Nicolas, and published in a handsome quarto of more than
400 pages, the larger portion of wliich is occupied by memoirs of tlie persons commem-
orated by the poet, forming in a great measure a baronage for the reign of Edward I. In
1864, a third edition was printed, under the following title : —
"The Roll of Anns of the Princes, Barons, and Knights who attended King Edward I.
to the Siege of Caerlaverock in 1300. Edited from the MS. in the Britisli Museum,
with a translation and notes by Thos. Wright, Esqr., M.A., F.R.S., &c., Corresponding
Member of the Institute of France. With Coat Armory emblazoned with gold and
colors. London : John Camden Hottcn, Piccadilly. 1864. 4to, viii, 39."
OF ANCIENT AND MODERN NATIONS. 13
eloth." The latter was the material with which knights-banneret
were content. The banner of the constable, the good ' Earle of Here-
ford,' was " of strong blue cendal," a superior kind of silk.
In 1361, Edward III. granted to Sir Guy de Bryan two hundred
marks a year for having discreetly borne the king's banner at the
siege of Calais, in 1347 ; and Thomas Strickland, the esquire who so
gallantly sustained Henry's banner at- Agincourt, urged the service as
worthy of remuneration from Henry VI. In Scotland, the representa-
tive of the great house of Scrimgeour still enjoys the honor of being
" hereditary banner-bearer of the queen," an office to which by special
grant Alexander I., a.d. 1107, appointed a member of the Carron
family, giving him the title Scrimgeo^ir, for his valor in a sharp fight.
Two manuscripts in the British Museum, not older than Henry
VIII., afford us authentic information as to the size of banners,
standards, and pennons ; extracts from them are printed in the ' Ret-
rospective Eeview,' in 1827. That valuable work, 'Excerpta Historica,'
also, has many interesting details on the subject.^
Bannerets. — Everard, a correspondent of the ' Gentleman's Maga-
zine,' in 1792, states that bannerets " were feudal lords who, possessing
several large fees, led their vassals to battle under their own flag or
banner, when summoned thereto by the king, whereas the hachlarius
eques, or little knights, in contradistinction to bannerets, who were
gi^eat knights, followed that of another." To be qualified for a ban-
neret, one must have been a gentleman of family, and must have had
the power to raise a certain number of armed men, with an estate
enough to subsist twenty-eight or thirty men. This must have been
very considerable, as each man, beside his servants, had two horsemen
to wait on him, armed, the one with a cross-bow, the other with a bow
and hatchet. As no one was allowed to be a haron who had not
above thirteen knights' fees, so no one was admitted to be a banneret
if he had less than ten.
Some assert ' Bannerets ' were originally persons who had por-
tions of a barony assigned them, and enjoyed it under the title haro
irroximus. Others find the origin of bannerets in France ; some,
again, in Brittany ; others, in England. The last attribute the institu-
tion of bannerets to Conan, a lieutenant of Maximus, who commanded
the Eoman legions in England under the empire of Gratiau, a.d. 383.
This general, revolting, divided England into forty cantons, and in
1 Retrospective Eeview, 2(1 series, vol. i. p. 113 ; Excei-pta Historica, or Illustrations
of English History. One volume, 8vo. London, 1833, pp. 50, &Q, 163, 170.
14 llli: SV.Ml'.nl.S. STANI)Ai:i)S, AND I'.ANXKU.S
the cantons distributed forty knights ; to each he gave the power of
asseniMinu under their several banners as many ellective men as were
in their di.slriets ; whence they were called baniunts. 'Froissart'
says that anciently such military men a.s were rich enough to raise
and subsist a company of armed men, and had a riijht tu do so, were
called h(()i)H/rts ; not that these qualifications rendered them knights,
but only bannerets, — the appellation of knights Ijeing added because
they were kniglits Ijcfore. Sir John Chandos was made a knight-ban-
neret by the Black Trince, and the King of Castile was made one at
Nagera, April 3, 1367.
Bannerets in England were only second to knights of the garter.
They were next in degree below nobility, and were allowed to Ijcar
arms with supporters, which no one else could under a baron. In
France the dignity was hereditary, but in England it died witli the
person who gained it. The order, after the institution of baronets or
hereditary knighthood by King James I., in IGll, dwindled and be-
came extinct in England.^ Tlie last person created a banneret was Sir
John Smith, who was created a banneret after the Edgehill fight,
Oct. 23, 1(342, for his gallantry in rescuing the standard of Charles I.
George III., liowever, in 1764, made Sir "William Ersldne a baimeret.
According to Froissart, the degrees of chivalry were three : knights-
bannerets, knights, and esquires. Before a man could become a knight-
banneret, he had to serve as a squire and a knight to attain renown
in arms, and to have a considerable military following. This was the
letter of the law, but it M-as not always strictly enforced. The knight
who aspired to tlie higher distinction could carry his pennon to the
leader of the army in which he served, and demand to raise his banner ;
wlien his qualifications were proved, the leader cut off the end of the
pennon, which thus became a square banner. This simple ceremony
was completed with a short address on the banneret's duties, pronounced
by the leader, or by a herald. The knight-l»anneret had no superior
except the king, and was the equal of the feudal baron.
The banners of the Knights of the Garter, blazoned with their arms,
hang over their stalls in Sir George's Chapel at Windsor ; those of the
Knights of the Bath over their stalls in Henry A^II.'s Chapel, West-
minster Abbey. In lioman Catholic countries, banners form an
important feature in religious services, jDrocessions, &c. Before the
Beformation, all the monasteries in England had banners preserved in
1 Tlie tirst haronet, Sir Nicolas Bacon, was created May 22, 1611 ; baronets of Ire-
land were created 1629 ; of Nova Scotia, 1625. All baronets created since the Irish
union, ISOl, arc of the United Kincrdoni.
OF ANCIENT AND MODEEN NATIONS. 15
their wardrobes, from whence they were brought on .anniversaries,
festivals, and important occasions, and were sometimes displayed in
battle. Edward I. paid eight and a half pence per day to a priest of
Beverley for carrying in his army the banner of St. John, and one
penny per day while taking it back to his monastery.
The celebrated painting of the ' Madonna di San Sisto ' which is
now in the Dresden Gallery, was painted by Raphael as a banner to
be used in processions for the Benedictine Cloister of St. Sixtus, in
Piacenza. It was, however, soon placed upon the high altar of the
church, where it remained until purchased by Augustus III., Elector
of Saxony, and was removed to Dresden in 1753 or 1754. The price
paid, according to Wickelmann, was 60,000 gulden. In 1827, the
painting was restored, and a portion that had been concealed in the
framing was brought to light, — the top of the curtain with the rod
and rings supporting it. Engravings by Schulze and Mliller were
made before this discovery ; and by Nordheim, Steinla, and Keller
after. Hence the difference in their details.
The union jack of Great Britain is a religious banner, composed
of the crosses of St. George, St. Andrew, and St. Patrick. The cor-
porations in former times had their banners, and several of the
livery companies of London still retain them for public occasions, as
do the- St. Patrick, St. Andrew, and other societies of the United
States. No political, religious, or secular procession would be con-
sidered complete in the United States without a display of banners.
The study of this .subject is of great importance to the historical painter,
and few sources of information are available.
Drayton, in his ' Battle of Agincourt,' says : —
" A silver tower Dorset's red banner bears,
The Cornishnien two wrestlers had fur theirs."
All the great nobles of England and Scotland carried banners
blazoned with the family arms.
John of Dreux, Earl of Piichmond, in the reign of
Edward I., bore a banner charged with the chequey
coat of Dreux, surrounded by a bordure of England, and
a canton of Bretagne. The bordure of England is de-
scribed as " a red orle with yellow leopards." The ban-
ner of Simon de Montfort, Earl of Leicester, is repre-
sented on a window of the cathedral at Chartres. On his
shield he carries a lion rampant. Banners and bannerols
were carried at funerals of the great in England, from
^fort's BaImeI^^' the elcveuth to the sixteenth century. They usually
\(y riir. >VMl!(iI.S. Sl'ANhAlJDS. AND r.ANNEKS
consi.stoil (•!' liainu-i.s l»la/.iiUL'tl with the firms of the individual, and tlii'
Inmilies with which he was allietl. On some occasions ecclesiastical
banners were disi»layed. In 138S, John Lord Montecute, a brother of
the Earl of Salisbury, ordered in his will that no painting should
be ]>laced about his hearse, excepting one banner of the arms of
England, two charged with that of Montecute, and two with the
arms of Monthermer. In the fourteenth century, those who were
descended from or connected l»y marriage with the royal family used
the royal arms with their own. Isabel, Countess of Suflulk, l-iKi,
and the Earl of Huntington, 1380, forbade any banners to be borne
at their funerals ; but Ilichard, Earl of Salisbury, 1458, ordered at his
interment " there be banners, standards, and other accoutrements,
according as was usual to a person of his degree." At the exposing
of tlie body of Richard II. in St. Pauls Cathedral, 1400, four banners
were affixed to the carriage or bier supi)orting it, — two of which con-
tained the arms of St. George, and the other two the arms of Edward
the Confessor. In 1542, Sir Gilbert Talbot, of Grafton, desired four
banners should be carried at his funeral, — one of the Trinity, one
of the Annunciation of Our Lady, one of St. John the Evangelist,
and one of St. Anthony. Sir David Owen, who died the same year,
ordered by his will, 1529, his body should be buried after the degree
of banneret ; that is, Avith his helmet, sword, coat armor, l^anner,
standard, and pendant, and set over all a banner of the Holy Trinity,
one of Our Lady, and another of St. George, borne after the order of
a man of his degree ; and the same should be placed over his tomb in
the priory of Essebourne.
The L.\.^'^'EI;, blazoned with all the quarterings of him to whom
it belonged, M-as either attached to a staff or lance, or frec[uently
depended from a trumpet, — a custom which is still retained by the
trumpeters of the Household Brigade.
We read in Shakspeare, —
" 1 will a lianiier from a trumpet take, and use it fur my haste; "
and in Chaucer, — .
" On every trum]> hanging a bi'ode bannere
Of fine tartariuui full richly bete,
Every trumpet his lordis armes bere."
The flags carried by cavalry regiments, though usually called ' stand-
ards,' might properly be styled ' banners.' The term ' colors ' is applied
to the flags of foot regiments. Shakspeare uses colors to denote mil-
itary flags.
OF A^X'IENT AND MODERN NATIONS.
17
During the reigns of Edward VI., Mary, and Elizabeth, and even
later, care was observed that the proper banners should be carried at
the funerals of persons of rank.
The Banderole, Baxxerol, or Baxdroll was a small banner about
a yard sc|uare, generally but not always rounded at the fly, several of
which were carried at funerals. They dis-
]3layed the arms and the matches of the de-
ceased's ancestors, especially of those which
brought honor or estate into the family. These
arms filled the entire flag, which was gener-
ally fringed with the principal metal and
color of the arms of the deceased. The
bannerol which was placed at the head of
Cromwell, at his magnificent funeral, ex-
hibited his arms, viz., sahle ; a lion rampant
Oliver cromweU's Bannerol. argcnt ; impaling Stuart or ; on a fess cheeky
argent and azure ; an escutcheon argent debruised with a bend fretty.
// / //</' ,..// At his funeral there
Willie III f£>i/i<;>iSi^/ciwi:Mon^)i^v,- tp/iis fir/r . S',
were also displayed
four standards, eight
great banners, and
twelve bannerols,
with a guvdon, of
which we give a re-
duced fac-similefrom
Prestwick's ' Pies Ee-
publicie.' These
standards exhibit the
shape and design of
the standards of Eng-
land, Scotland, Ire-
land, and Wales at
the period of the
great Protector's
death, and also the
banners of the
' Union or States,'
' St. George,' ' St.
Andrew,' 'King Da-
vid,' and of the Com-
monwealth, the ban-
18 THE SV.Mr.dLS, STANDAIJDS. ANh HANNEKS
ner of Cronnvt'll and his L^uydon, and tlie bannerols of the families with
which he was allied.
It appears by the lull rendered lor the funeral expenses that the
six great banners cost £<> each, and the live large standards, " wrought
in rich tallety, in oyle, and guilt with fine gold and silver," cost £10
each ; the guydon, " as large as a great banner," £G ; and the twelve
bannerols, £oO.
At the Eestoration, Cromwell's body and the bodies of his associ-
ates were dug up, suspended on Tyburn gallows lor a day, and then
buried under it. The head of Cromwell was taken off, carried to West-
minster Hall, and fixed there, where it remained until the great tempest
at the commencement of the eighteenth century, which blew it down,
when it was picked up by the great-grandfather of its present posses-
sor, a citizen of London, — a significant commentary on earthly great-
ness. " The body of Cromwell, carried to his burial in royal state,
only a few years after his interment is rudely torn from its last rest-
ing-place, and the half-decayed carcass, dragged by the heels through
the mud and mire of London, is hanged upon Tyburn tree, the head
afterwards torn off and placed so that, in grinning horror, it ever
looked towards the spot where King Charles was executed." ^
The Guydon, or Guidon, Fr. (derived from (juidc-liomme), resem-
bled a banner in form and emblazonment, but was one-third less in
size, and had the end rounded off. It was the standard of a company
of soldiers, and borne by their cornet.
" The guydhome must be two yards and a half or three yards
longe, and therein shall no armes be putt, but only the mans crest,
cognizance & devyce, and from that, from his standard and streamer,
a man may flee, but not from his banner or pennon bearinge his
armes."
" Place under the guidhome fifty men, by the conduct of an
esquire or gentleman." ^
Every guydon carried, in chief, a cross of St. George.
The Pennon (Fr.), sometimes spelled Pinionc, was a small streamer
half the size of the guydon, of a swallow-tailed form, at-
tached to the handle of a spear or lance, such as the lan-
cers of the present day carry. Afterwards, by increase
/ ^ in length and breadth, it became a military ensign, and
was charged with the crest, badge, or war-cry of the
Peunoii .
1 AIlon}^nous ; Prestwiek. ^ jyjs. British Museum.
OF ANCIENT AND MODEEN NATIONS 19
knight, — his arms being emblazoned on his banner, so arranged as
to appear correctly when the lance was held in a horizontal position.
The pennon charged with a cross is borne
by St. George, St. Michael, and St. Ursula ;
that of John the Baptist is inscribed with
his words announcing the coming of Christ :
" Ecce Agnus Dei." The illustration, a pen-
non of the earliest form, is copied from one
Daubernouu's Pennon, 1277. i^eld by the figure of Sir Johu Daubemouu,
1277, on his monumental brass in the church of Stoke D'Aubernoun,
Surrey.
A manuscript, giving the size of banners, &c., in tlie fifteenth cen-
tury, says : " Every knight may have his pennon, if he be chiefe cap-
taine, and in it sett his amies ; and if he be made a banneret by the
king or the lieutenant, shall make a slitte in the end of the pennon,
and the heraldes shall raze it oute : and when a knight is made a ban-
neret the heralds shall bringe him to his tente, and receive for their
fees, three pounds, eleven shillings and four pence for every bachelor
knight, and the trumpetter twenty shillings."
In ' Canterbury Tales,' Chaucer's knight says : —
** Aud by liys bannere borne is bis peunon
Of gold full riche."
Sir Walter Scott thus alludes to the pennon in ' j\Iarmion : ' —
" The trustiest of tbe four,
On high bis forky peunon bore :
Like swallow's tail in shape and hue,
Fluttered the streamer, glossy blue,
AVhere blazoned sable, as before,
The towering falcon seemed to soar."
The Pa VON was a peculiar-shaped flag, somewhat like a
gryon attached to a spear. The cut is from an illuminated
Psalter executed in 1340. The original is charged with the
arms of Sir Geoffrey Loutterell : azure ; a lend between six
martlets argent.
Pa von.
Penoncels, or Pexsils, were small narrow pennons, usually borne
to ensign the helmet, or to form part of the caparisons of the knight's
charger, though they were sometimes affixed to lances, as appears from
a line of the ' Lyfe of Alesaunder,' a metrical romance of the fourteenth
century, —
" Many a fair ]iencel on spere."
20 Tin: SYMI'.oLS. STAM>Ai;i)S. AND P.ANNKUS
Ensign {Wal. i /is ir/na; Si)an. cnscna; Lai. i)isig)ic;YY. cnscig7ic ; Rho
in Ku;j;lisli, tniticnf or (incunt), ai>i>lied Hrst to the Hag, is now apjilied
both to the llai,' and its liearer. In ' OlheHo,' Cassio, in speaking ol' lago,
says, " The lieutenant is to be saved before the ancient." Kdward tlie
lUaek rrince connuanded liis 'ancient' Itearer, Sir WaUer ^^'o(»dland,
tu niarth lurward.^ King liichard tonk with him on his crusade the
standard and ensigns of his kingdom. Of kite years, the national
thigs borne l>y vessels of war or mercliant ships have been known as
cmir/ns, and a grade of junior oHicers has been introduced into the
United States navy, who are styled ' ensigns,' though their duties nec-
essarily have no connection witli the colors. Tlie French also lune
a class of officers in their navy styled enseignes <h vaisscaiu:.^
Wiuthrop, in his ' History of New England,' mentions, under date
Saturday, May 22, 1634, his meeting, on his passage across the Atlantic,
a small French vessel, and " when we drew near her, we put forth our
'ancient^ and she luffed up the wind to us."
That celebrated piece of royal embroidery, the Bayeux tapestry,
the handiwork of Matilda, the consort of William the Conqueror, and
her ladies, exhibits a display of the military ensigns in use at the
period of the conquest by the Norman invaders and the Saxon occu-
pants of England. The examples I have given from it afford an idea
of the shape and devices of the ensigns of the chieftains of the eleventh
century.2
The Bayeux tapestry, divided into compartments showing the events
from Harold's visit to the Norman court to his death at Hastings, is
preserved in the public library at Bayeux, near Caen, Normandy.
Only within a few years has it been where it could be seen with
comfort or ability to appreciate its merits, having formerly been
kept on a huge cylinder, from which an offisial unrolled seventy-two
yards on to another cylinder. In this way it was carried througli
France in 1803, by order of Bonaparte, to be displayed from the
stages of the theatres as an incentive to the public mind not to
revive this kind of work, but to awaken tlie people to a project then
on foot for the invasion of England. Noav this grand work is shown
on the walls of the town library, it consisting of a strip of linen cloth
218 feet long, and 1 foot 8 inches wide, having worked upon its entire
length a series of fifty-eight scenes, representing the events in the
' Norman Conquests,' in which there are more than ten thousand
figures, many of them being men who are 10 to 12 inches high;
then there are horses, dogs, ships, and houses, and a running border
1 Bouleir.s Heiakhv. 2 gfo^^.
OF ANCIENT AND MODERN NATIONS.
21
with innumerable figures, all worked in worsted, and with only eight
colors, dark and light blue, red, yellow, buff, and two shades of green ;
the horses are either blue, red, green, or yellow, to suit the sur-
roundings.
Ensigns from the Bayeux Tapestiy.
Thus the queen . has handed down to the present day a memorial
so explicit in its details and graphic in its delineations as to form a
valuable standard of reference in an archreological point of view, and
at the same time a perfect ndrror of the curious usages, economy,
manners, and even looks of the people of her time. Over each scene
22 'iin: symbols. si"ani>ai;|)s, and r.AWERS
is written, also in needle-\vork, the subject, in Koiuan cajiitals, in the
Latin lanj^uaj^'e.^
The number of pennons carried by tlie Norniau soldiers h.^ured in
the entire tajiestry amounts to thirty-seven, and of these no less than
twenty-eight have their ends cut into three points or flames.
Mr. French argues that the three-pointed ends on these pennons
symbolize the Holy Trinity, as did those of crusaders of the first cru-
sade subsequently. Whether the pennons with their triple termina-
tions were intended to symboli/e the Trinity or not, there is no doul»t
of their having been used extensively. When the crusader returned,
this symbol of his hostility to the Saracen was removed, as shown
on the tomb of Edward Crookljack, Earl of Lancaster, the Ijrother of
Edward L, who returned from the first crusade of 1270. The tomb
remains to this day, though defaced. In 1783, the colors were copied,
and each of the figures of the ten knights who accompanied him to
the East and returned with him to England are represented as hold-
ing a square banner.
GoNFAXONS were properly sacred banners carried in religious pro-
cessions, and as such Chaucer and Milton speak of them. The great
^-JN^
standard or banner of St. Wdvk was styled a gonfanon.
The gonfanon was bordered with fringe or twisted silk,
and usually supported as shown in the illustration. In
the ' Lyfe of Alesaunder ' we read, —
" Ther gonfannons and their penselles
„ , Wcr woU wroueht off erene sendels."
Gonfanon. '^
Dr. jMyrick considers the small pennon attached to a lance in
the hand of AVilliam the Conqueror on his great seal as a gonfanon,
differing from a banner, being, instead of square and fastened to a
tronsure bar, of the same figure as the gonfanon, fixed in a frame, and
made to turn like a modern ship's vane, with two or three streamers
or tails. The object of the gonfanon was principally to render the
leaders more conspicuous to their followers, and to terrify the horses
1 Mrs. Emma D. Southworth, Cor. Boston 'Traveller,' Oct. 4, 1879. A copy dmvra
hy C. Stothard, and colored after the oiiginals, was published by the Society of Anti-
quaries in 1821-23. A fac-simile in chromo-lithogiaph, the full size of the original, has
been published. In 1856, the Rev. Jolni Colling\vood Bruce published a quarto volume,
entitled ' The Bayeux Tapestry elucidated,' which has reduced colored illustrations of
the entire roll. In 1857, the Journal of the Archreological Association of Great Britain
printed a paper by Gilbert J. French on the ' Banners of the Bayeux Tapestry,' which was
subsequently published in a tliin 8vo volume, for presentation only.
OF ANCIENT AND MODERN NATIONS. 23
of their adversaries ; hence the gonfanon was a mark of dignity. From
the Bayeux tapestry it would appear that a standard was borne near
the person of the commander-in-chief, which is described by the writer
of the period as a gonfanon. Wace says : —
^' The bcarons had goiifanons,
The kuights had peunous."
The Conqueror's gonfanon, depicted on the Bayeux tapestry/ has
three tails, and is white, within a blue border cliarged with a cross,
or. The same charge also occurs on the mast of his ship, though in
a square form. Wace says, Harold's standard was a noble one, — a
dragon sparkling with gems and precious stones.
One of the banners of the Bayeux tapestry, of which an illustration
is given, represents a bird within a semicircle of rays, and has usually
been called a Danish war-flag, the bird supposed to be the raven
sacred to Odin; and Herr Worsac^ adopts the opinion that it is
the danhrog or war-flag of the Scandinavian vikings. He goes on to
state that the banners (or marks) of the ancient Danes were in times
of peace light- colored, but in war times of a blood color, with a black
raven on a red ground. This is entirely against the supposition that
the flag of the tapestry represents the raven of Denmark, since, after
the lapse of six hundred years, the bird remains of a pale blue color,
upon what appears to have been white, and it is represented with
closed wings, — a peaceful and dovelike attitude. There is, therefore,
reason for a belief that this singular and interesting banner bears a
dove, the symbol of the Holy Spirit, within a nimbus of rays.^
Speed informs us that the Duke of Normandy, " with three hun-
dred ships fraught full of his Normans, Flemings, Frenchmen, and
Britaimes, weighed anchor." In this list there is no mention of
Danes or Norwegians, and there is good reason for supposing that no
soldiers of Scandinavian nations were present in the army of the
Conqueror.
The strength of these nations had invaded England in the north,
and been subdued in a sanguinary and decisive battle, only four days
before the Duke of Normandy landed at Hastings. The probability,
therefore, is that neither Dane nor Danish banner was in the Norman
army.^
The StanDxVED was a flag somewhat reseml)ling an elongated pen-
non. It did not, like the banner, indicate a distinctive mark of honor,
1 Retrospective Review — Sir Harris Nicolas. '- The Danes in England.
3 Gilbert J. French. Banners of the Bayeux Tapestry, 1857.
4
TIIK SYMH()!>S. STANI».\!;i>s. AND r.ANNKKS
but mi^nlit l>e borne by any noble comniamk'r irrespective f»i' bis rank,
the only restrictit»n being that of its length. A king's standard was
eight or nine yards long ; a duke's, seven ; a niar(|ui.s's, six and a
half ; an earl's, six ; a viscount's, live and a half ; a baron's, five ; a
banneret's, four and a half; and a knight's, four.
The banner was always charged with tlie arms of its owner ; but
on the standard only the crest or badge and motto were exhibited ; the
field being composed of the livery colors. When the livery of a family
consisted of more than one color, — as the Tudor sovereigns, for ex-
ample, who hoYQ argent and vert, — the standard was always parted per
fcss of such colors. Next the staff was emblazoned the cross of St.
George; then followed tlie badge or badges, re})eated an indefinite
number of times, surmounted by narrow bands, on which was inscribed
the motto, or cri-de-guerre ; the whole being usually surrounded by
a roll of silk composed of the livery colors.
The charges were so depicted upon the standard as to appear correct
when it was developed by the wind in a horizontal position. On
account of its size, it was not generally carried in the hand, like a
banner, but the staff to which it was attached was fixed in the ground,
— hence its name. The Koyal standards of the present time are
really square banners, blazoned with the royal arms over the entire
field.
THE EARLY USE OF ENSIGNS AND COLOES ON
BOARD SHIP.
According to Wilkinson and Bonomi, there are no flags depicted
upon Egyptian or Assyrian representations of vessels ; but in lieu of
a flag certain devices are embroidered on the
sail, such as a phenix, flowers, &c., whence
the sail bearing the device was called ncs, or
ensign.
The utility of vanes and pennons must
have been soon suggested as a means of
ascertaining the direction of the wind. The
Ijlazoning them with the arms of the owner or the name of the vessel
naturally followed. Livy mentions that Scipio, B.C. 202, was met
by a ship of the Carthaginians, "garnished with infules, ribbands,
and white flags of peace, and beset with branches of olives," &c. A
medal of the time of Antiochus VII., king of Syria, B.C. 123, shows
a galley without mast or sail, having a swallow-tailed flag, not
OF ANCIENT AND MODERN NATIONS. 25-
slung upon a spreader, but hoisted on an ensign-staff abaft. The
Prophet Ezekiel, whose prophecies date 600 years B.C., metaphori-
cally comparing the maritime city of Tyre to one of the ships by
which they carried on their commerce, speaks of her banner as made
of fine linen.
Pliny tells us that the sterns and prows of trading vessels and men-
of-war, without exception, were decorated with colors ; and at Athens,
Corinth, and Sicyon the profession of ship-painters founded the famous
school of painters in those cities.
At first, merely to preserve the wood, the ship-builders covered
every part of the vessel exposed to the action of the air and water with
a coating of pitch ; but this sombre and uniform tint soon wearied the
eye. A more brilliant color, prepared with wax, was painted over the
pitch ; the costlier class of ships glistened in all the splendor of white,
ultramarine, and vermilion ; wdiile pirates and occasionally men-of-war
were covered with a coat of green paint, which, blending with the color
of the sea, prevented them from being seen at a distance. Gildings
glistened on the vessels of the rich, and the sculptor's chisel added
busts and figures to the decoration of their bows and sterns. Even in
this respect the Middle Ages still followed the traditions of antiquity.
The decorations of ships varied according to the caprice of owners
and the fashion of the times. The Saracen dromon boarded and
taken by Eichard Coeur de Lion had one side colored green, and the
other yellow. The Gen'oese at first painted their ships green ; but in
1242, when they were at w^ar with the Pisans, they colored them
white, spotted with vermilion crosses ; that is, " red crosses on a silver
ground, which resembled the arms of Monsieur Saint-Georges." Red
was the color generally adopted for ships' hulls in the sixteenth cen-
tury, though a pattern in black and white was sometimes added, and
sometimes the ground was painted black, and the pattern only ver-
milion. In 1525, when Francis I., made prisoner at the battle of
Pavia, was taken to Barcelona, the six galleys which carried the captive
sovereign and his suite were painted entirely black, from the top of the
masts to the water-line. The Knights of St. Stephen, in the fifteenth
century, hid the brilliant hues of the principal galley of their squad-
ron, and painted its sails, pennants, awnings, oars, and hull with black,
and swore never to alter the sombre hue till their order had recap-
tured from the Turks a galley lost by the Pisans. The Normans, or
men of the Xorth, were as fond of these brilliant standards as the
nations of the Mediterranean : when they sailed on a warlike expe-
dition, or when they celebrated a victory over pirates, they covered
26
'I'lIK SVMHoLS. S'I'ANI>Ai:i>S. AND I'-ANNKKS
their vessels with Hags. The poet lienoit de Saute-More tells us that
it was iu this tashiou, covered with seveu huudred bauners, that liollo
brought his lleet l»aek u\> the Seine to Meulan. The Middle Ages
made use ol" all kinds of fanciful decorations for their vessels. During
the Itenaissance,
this taste was re-
newed, and was
an inii)rovenient
ujHju the cus-
toms ol'antitiuity,
whence it Aww
its inspirations,
and on those of
the thirteenth
century.
A galley, says
the learned ^I.
Jal, " was in those
days a species of
jewel, and was
] landed over for
endjellishnient to
the hands of gen-
ius, as a piece of metal was given to Benvenuto Cellini."
Sculptors, painters, and poets combined their talents to adorn a
ship's stern. A striking example of this artistic refinement in naval
ornamentation was the Spanish galley constructed in 1568 by order
of Philip II., for his brother, Don John of Austria, to whom he con-
fided the command of the fleet intended to fight the barbarous IMoor-
ish States of Africa. The vessel's cut-water was painted white, and
emblazoned with the royal arms of Spain and with the personal arms
of Don John. The prince being a Knight of the Golden Fleece, the
history of Jason and of the good ship Argo was represented in col-
ored sculpture on the stern, above the rudder. This pictured poem
was accompanied with four symbolical statues, — I'rudence, Temper-
ance, Power, and Justice, — above which floated angels carrying the
symbols of the theological virtues. On one side of the poop might
be seen I\Iars the avenger, ]Mercury the eloquent, and Ulysses stop-
ping his ears against the seductions of the Sirens ; on the other, Pal-
las, Alexander the Great, Argus, and Diana. Between these were
inserted pictures, which conveyed either a moral lesson for the benefit
French Man-of-war of the bixteentli Century.
From the Collection of Drawings in the National Library, Paris.
OF ANCIENT AND MODERN NATIONS.
27
of the young admiral, or a delicate eiilogium on Charles V., his father,
or on Philip II., his brother. All these emblems were chefs-cVceuvre
of drawing and sculpture, which the brilliancy of their gold, azure,
and vermilion settings tended to enhance.^
The illuminated copies of Froissart's ' Chronicles,' in the British
Museum, present many curious illustrations of the manner of carrying
flags at sea. Some of the vessels have a man at arms in the top holding
on a staff the banner of the nation to which it belongs. One of the illu-
Ship of Henry VI. 's Time, 1430-61.
minations of the time of Henry VI. (1430-61) represents a ship with
shields slung along her topsides, — a very ancient practice, which was
continued by painting the arms and devices on the bulwarks, and
from whence come the figure-heads and stern carvings of modern
ships. Two trumpeters at the stern have standards blazoned with
fleurs-de-lis, attached to their trumpets, and a similar standard is dis-
played from her masthead. In some instances, the banners of ships
were consecrated. Baldwin, Earl of Flanders (1204), had one, and
William the Conqueror, when he invaded England (1066), hoisted at
the masthead of the ]\Iora, the sliip tliat conveyed him to its shores,
1 Le Croix's Military ami Eelipfious Life in the Middle Ages.
28 THE sY:\n',()Ls. si-andai^ds. and 1'.anni:i:s
a S(|uaio wliite Ihuiikt. This Iiuiiirt was cliarged ^vitli a gold cross
within a hlue border, sunnoimtcd liy another cross of gold, conse-
crated by Tope Alexander II.
expressly for the occasion.
Her name, the Mira, or Mora,
is supposed to mean Man-
sion. She was presented to
the Conqueror by liis duch-
ess as a parting gift. A pic-
ture of her, from which our
illustration is drawn, is pre-
served on the Bayeux tai)estry.
Her sail is painted in three stripes ; viz., red or brown, yellow, and red.
All the ships of William's fleet were painted in horizontal stripes, dif-
ferently colored. The Mora was painted alternately brown and blue.
A variety of colors were borne by English sliips in the fourteenth
century. Besides the national banner of St. George, and the banner
of the king's army (which, after the year 1340, consisted of three lions
of England quartered with the arms of France, — azure semee of gold
fleur-de-lis), every ship had pennoncels with the arms of St. George
and two streamers charged with the image of the saint after M'hom
she was called, if she had not a Christian name, the streamers con-
tained other charges. About 1346, one hundred and sixty pennoncels
with the arms of St. George were made for ships. The standards of
St. George had sometimes a leopard, i.e. the lion of England, in chief.
In 1337, the St. Botolph and the St. Nicholas carried streamers
with the images of those saints. These streamers were from fourteen
to thirty-two ells long, and from three to five in breadth. Before the
battle of Espagnols sur Mer, in 1350, two standards and two streamers
were issued to all the king's ships, those called after saints having
their effigies. Some of the other streamers were peculiar. That of
the Jerusalem was white and red, and contained M-hite dragons, green
lozenges, and leopards' heads. That of the Edward liad the king's
arms with an E, and the streamer and l)anner of the shi}) appointed
for the king's wardrobe was charged with his arms and a black key.
Two gonfanons are stated to have once been supplied to ships, prob-
ably to distinguish the vessels that bore them, carrying ecclesiastics,
from other vessels ; also a streamer charged with a dragon.
Streamers were* considered warlike ensigns. One of the requi-
sitions made to the INIayor of Lyons l»y the French ambassadors
OF ANCIENT AND MODEKN NATIONS.
29
appointed to carry the treaty of Montreuil into effect, was, that the
masters of ships belonging to Lyons, who were going to those ambas-
sadors in Hainault, should be forbidden to bear unusual streamers, or
other signs of mortal war, until commanded to do so by the king, to
avoid incurring the dangers mentioned in the eighth article of a con-
vention agreed to before Pope Boniface the Eighth, for settling some
disputes between the French and the inhabitants of Lyons, and of
other maritime towns of England and of Gascony.
The banner of the admiral of a fleet was hoisted on board his ship ;
and when any eminent person was a passenger, his banner was also
displayed. In 1337, Sir John Eoos, admiral of the northern fleet, was
sent to convey the Bishop of Lincoln and the Earls of Salisbury and
Huntingdon on their return to England from a foreign mission ; and
the Christopher was furnished with banners of the arms of Sir John
Eoos, of the Bishop of Lincoln, and of the Earl of Salisbury. These
banners were one ell and three-quarters long, and two cloths wide.
The Christopher also received a banner of the king's arms, and two
worsted standards, which were nine ells long and three cloths wide.
Besides streamers bearing a representation of the saint for whom a
ship was named, his image was sent on board. When Edward III.
embarked in his Cog, the Thomas, in 1350, before the battle with the
Spaniards, an image of St. Thomas was made for that vessel ; and an
image of Our Lady, captured in a ship at sea by John de Eyngeborne,
was carefully conveyed from Westminster to Eltham, and there de-
livered to the king, February, 137G. Targets and pavises or large
shields, great numbers of which were placed on every ship, w^ere
sometimes painted with the arms of St. George, or with an escutcheon
of the king's arms within the garter.^
On a manuscript relating the prin-
cipal events in the life of Eichard
Beauchamp, Earl of Warwick, written
by John Eons, a chanting priest of
Guy's Cliff, there is a representation
of a ship having a main and miz-
zen mast with the sail braced up for
sailing on a wind, contrary to the ear-
lier practice of sailing always before
Ship of the Earl of Warwick, 1437. the wiud. The Streamer does not fly
in accordance with the angle of tlie sail ; but this anomaly by the
priestly artist may be supposed to have arisen from his desire to
1 Sir N. Harris Xieolas's Histor}- of tlie Royal Navy, vol. ii.
30 TlIK SVMUOLS. STAM)Ai;i>S. AND I'.ANNKKS
make the l.K?st display ul' tlie anuorial bearings ou the streamer. From
the foHowiiig bill, the origiual <»r wliidi is preserved in Dugdale's
'"WarwickshirL',' it seems this streamer was made in 14o7, viz. : —
'• riif.^^c hv tlic parcells that Will Soburg, citizen and i»fyiitour of London,
luilli dcliverL'd in the month uf Juyn [duly], the xv yeer of the reign of Kiii^'
Harry Sext [1437], to John Itay, taillour of the same cit)', for the use and
stuir of my Lord Warwick.
•■ Ifevi, for a grete Stremour for the !?hip of xl yerd.s lenght, and
vij. yerdes in brede, with a grete Bear and Gryfon holding a ragged
staff, poudrid full of ragged staves, and for a grete crosse of 8t.
George, for the lymming and portraying 1 . G. 8.
" Ite7n, for a guiton for the shippe, of viij. yerdes long, poudrid
full of ragged staves, for the lymming and workmanship 0. 2. 0.
" Item, iij. Pennons of satyn entreteyned with ragged staves, for
the lymming full of ragged staves, price the piece, ijs, 3. G. 0."
The gryfon mentioned in this account does not appear on tlie
streamer ; probably it was painted on the side not seen ; with this
exception, the streamer of the ship is identified with that described
in the bill, and shows that the ship was equipped July, 1437. The
use of streamers was confined to ships, and is continued in the narrow
or coach-whip pennants of modern ships of war.
When Eustace, the monk, in 1217, put to sea from Calais with a
fleet of eighty ships, besides galleys and smaller craft, intending to
proceed up the Thames to London, and Avas descried off the coast of
England, some one exclaimed, " Is there any one among you who is
this day ready to die for England ? " and was answered by another,
" Here am I ; " when the first speaker observed, " Take with thee an
axe, and wdien thou seest us engaging the tyrant's ship, climb \\]> the
mast and cut down the banner, that the other vessels may be dispersed
for the want of a leader." We may infer from this that the French
commander of a fleet carried a distinguishing banner. Yet nothing
has been found showing that the English admiral in the reign of
Edward IL bore any distinguishing ensign l^y day. As the admiral
and his vice-admiral certainly carried distinguishing lights by night,
it is extremely probable that his ship was indicated by his banner at
the masthead, which agrees with the fact that vessels were supplied
with the banner of the admiral who sailed in them. In 134G, on an
expedition against Normandy, Froissart says, Edward III. took the en-
sign from the Earl of Warwick, the admiral, and declared that he him-
self would be admiral on the voyage, and, running ahead, led the fleet.
On a rose noble of Edward III., the king is represented as standing
OF ANCIENT AND MODERN NATIONS.
31
on a ship which carries at its masthead a pennon of St. George.^ On
a rose noble of Queen Elizabeth, her Majesty is seated in the ship,
which is charged with a Tudor rose, and carries at the bow a banner
bearing an initial letter, — a Gothic E-
Henry VII. ordered built a great ship, such as had never been seen
in England, which was finished in 1515, and called the Harry Grace de
Dicu. A drawing
of her, preserved in
the Pepsian collec-
tion at Cambridge,
England, shows her
at anchor profuse-
ly decorated with
twenty-five flags
and standards.
The ship has four
masts and the high
poop and forecastle
of those times.
Each of the round
The Han-y Grace de D.cu, 1.15. ^^^^ ^^ ^^^ ^^^^^
and top masts' heads, and the bowsprit end (nine in all), are furnished
with a streamer or standard bearing a cross of St. George at the luff,
with the ends divided longitudinally by a red and white stripe, the
red in chief. At three of the mastheads are St. George ensigns, and
on the principal mast a flag or standard blazoned with the royal arms,
and having a St. George cross in the fly. The poop, waist, and fore-
castle show a line of flags or banners, two of which are St. George flags
with a blue fly bearing a fleur-de-lis, and one bearing a rose, also two
plain blue flags charged with a fleur-de-lis and rose. Four are striped
horizontally red and white, and four striped horizontally yellow and
white.
A drawing of the same ship under sail, given by Allen, exhibits
a banner with the royal arms at the main masthead, a blue banner
bearing a rose on the mast next abaft it, and St. George flags, white
with a red cross, at both the fore and mizzen mastheads. A large
royal standard on the ensign staff at the poop, and seven streamers
1 For a description of this rose noble, see * The American Journal of Numismatics '
for January, 1872, also Entick's ' Xaval History,' published 1757. It was coined to
assert King Edward's title to France, his dominion of the sea, antl to commemorate his
naval victory over the French fleet in 1340, — the greatest that had ever been obtained
at sea by the Englisli, and the first wherein a king of England liad commanded in person,
and wherein tlie Frencli are .said to have lost 30,000 men.
32
TllK SV.MlUtLS, SlANDAliDS. AND HAXXEKS
or standards of various colors and devices are scattered about the
111 the ancient ]iicture preserved at Windsor Castle of tlie embar-
kation of Henry VIII. at Dover, May 31, 152U, the ship he is in —
supposed to be the
Harry Grace de
Dieu, or tlie Great
Harry — is repre-
sented as sailing
out of the harbor
of Dover having
her sails set. She
has four masts,
with two round
tops to each mast,
except the sliort-
est mizzen ; her
sails and pennants
are of cloth of gold
damasked. The
royal standard of
England is flying
Ship of War in which Henry VIII. embarked at Dover in 1520. c,oo^^ nf +I1D
quarters of the forecastle, and the staff of each standard is surrounded
by a fleur-de-lis, or ; pennants are flying from the mastheads, and at
each quarter of the deck is a standard of St. George's cross. Her
quarters and sides, as also her tops, are fortified and decorated M-ith
heater-shaped shields charged differently with the cross of St. George
azure, a fleur-de-lis or, party per pale (mjcnt, and vert a union rose, and
party per pale arfjcnt and vert a portcullis or, alternately and repeatedly.
On the main deck the king is standing, richly dressed in a garment
of cloth of gold edged with ermine, the sleeves crimson, and the jacket
and breeches the same. His round bonnet is covered with a white
feather laid on the upper side of the brim. On his right hand stands
a person in a dark ^dolet coat slashed with black, with red stockings ;
and on his right three others, all evidently persons of distinction;
behind them, the yeomen of the guard. Two trumpeters are seated
on the edge of the quarter-deck, and the same number on the forecastle,
sounding their trumpets. On the front of the forecastle and on the
1 A return of the Royal Sliippcs at ^Vol\villge in tlie 1st year of Edwd. YI. names
tlie "Harry Grace a Dieu, 1000 ton.s ; Souldiers, 349 ; Marryners, 301 ; Gomiers, 50 ;
Brass Pieces, 19 ; Iron Pieces, 103."
OF ANCIENT AND MODERN NATIONS. 33
stern are painted, within a circle of the garter, the arms of France and
England, supported by a lion and a dragon, being the supporters then
used by Henry VIII. The same arms are repeated on the stern. On
each side of the rudder is a port-hole, with a brass cannon ; and on
the side of the main deck are two port-holes with cannon, and the
same number under the forecastle. The figure on the ship's head
seems meant to represent a lion, but is extremely ill carved. Under
the ship's stern is a boat, having at her bow two standards of St.
George's cross, and the same at her stern, with yeomen of the guard
and other persons in her.
On the right of the Great Harry is a three-masted ship, having her
sails furled, and broad pennants of St. George's cross flying. She has
four royal standards on her forecastle. Between these two ships is
a boat filled with a number of persons, having two pennants with
armorial bearings at the bow, and two at the stern.
These two ships are followed by three others, each having pen-
nants of St. .George's cross flying, their sides and tops ornamented
with shields. On the forecastle of the nearest of these ships three
royal standards are visible, a fourth being hid by the foresail. All
these ships are crowded with passengers. Between these ships and
the shore are two boats carrying passengers on board the ships.
In the stern of one of them is an ofiicer dressed in green, slashed,
holding up an ensign or ancient of five stripes, — white, green, red,
white, and green, — the same as displayed from the nearest fort.^
Francis I. had a magnificent carack constructed in Normandy,
so richly decorated, witli such lofty decks and towers, that it was
called the ' Great Carack.' It was anchored in the roadstead of Havre
de Grace, and was about to set sail at the head of a powerful fleet to
meet the English monarch, when he was coming to the Field of the Cloth
of Gold. On the eve of its departure, Francis I., desirous of inspecting
the ship, went on board, accompanied by a numerous and a brilliant
court. A collation had been prepared for him and his suite, the band
was playing, salutes were thundering out in his honor, and he was in
the midst of his inspection of the floating citadel, when an alarm was
given, — a fire had broken out between decks, and before help could
be efficiently rendered the wdiole of the rigging was in flames. In a
few liours all that remained of the Great Carack was an immense
hull half consumed aground on the beach, upon which the sea was
casting up tlie corpses of those of its crew who were killed by the
discharges of its cannons during the progress of the conflagration.^
1 Charnock's Marine Architecture. - La Croix's Jliddle Ages.
3
34
THE SYMBOLS, STANDAKDS. AND I'.ANNKKS
An engravinjjf iirelixeel to Hey wood's description of the Sovereign of
the Seas, l»uilt in 1G37 by order of Charles 1., and which " was just as
many tons burthen as the year of our Lord in wliich slie was built,"
sliiiws that fi\nious ship with four masts. A white ensign, cantoned
with a St. George's cross, flics from a stalf on her bowsprit, and a St.
Cieorge Hag at the fore. A banner, blazoned with the royal arms, is
at the main, and the miion jack of IGoG at the mast next aljaft.^
A jiicture of the same ship, painted by Vandevelde, exhibits her
with only three masts, and under sail, with a union jack at the bow-
sprit. A banner,
bearing the royal
arms and support-
ers, is on the en-
sign staff, and flags
at the fore and
mizzen mastheads
are blazoned with
the crown and roy-
al cypher sur-
rounded by the
garter and mottoes
on rib1)ons.
Vessels in the
IMiddle Ages, as in
ancient times, frequently had golden-colored and purple sails. The
sails of seigniorial ships were generally brilliantly emblazoned with
the coat-of-arms of the seignior; the sails of merchant vessels and of
fishing-boats, with the image of a saint, the patron figure of the Virgin,
a pious legend, a sacramental word, or a sacred sign, intended to exor-
cise evil spirits, who played no inconsiderate part in the superstitious
of those who went down in ships upon the great waters, — a custom
which is still kept alive by the maritime people of China and Japan.
Different kinds of sails were originally employed to make signals at
sea ; but flags soon began to be used for this purpose. A single flag,
having a different meaning, according to its position, ordinarily sufficed
to transmit all necessary orders in the daytime. At night, its place
was taken by lighted beacons. These flags, banners, standards, and
pennants, most of them embroidered with the arms of a town, a sov-
1 " A tnie description of His JIajesty's royal ship, built this year, 1637, at Woolwicli,
iu Kent, to the Glory of the English Nation, and not to be paralleled in the whole
Christian world," by Thomas Hey wood ; to which is prefixed a Portrait of the Ship.
The Sovereign of the Seas, 1G37, by Vandevelde.
OF ANCIENT AND MODERN NATIONS. 35
ereigii, or an admiral, were made of light stuffs, taffeta, or satin;
sometimes square, sometimes triangular, sometimes forked, each had
its own use and significance, either for the embellishment of the ves-
sel's appearance, or to assist in manoeuvring. The galleys were pro-
vided with a smaller kind of pennant, which was put up at the prow,
or fastened to the handle of each oar. These were purely for orna-
mental purposes, and were often trimmed with golden or silk fringes.
Amongst the most celebrated flags and standards of the French
navy was the haucents, a name that recalls the banner of the Knights
Templar. These flags of red taffeta, sometimes s^Drinkled with gold,
were only employed in the most merciless wars ; for, says a document
of 1292, " they signified certain death and mortal strife to all sailors
everywhere." It is related of Philip the Bold, of Burgundy, in his •
•preparation for the invasion of England, 1404, his ship was painted
outside in blue and gold, and there were three thousand standards with
his motto, assumed, no doubt, for the occasion, but which he after-
Avard always retained : " 3{oult me tarde" It was also embroidered on
the sails of his ships, encircled by a wreath of daisies, in compliment
to his wife. In 1570, Marco Antonio Colonna hoisted on his flag-gal-
ley a pennant of crimson damask, which bore on both sides a Christ
on the cross, between St. Peter and St. Paul, with the Emperor Con-
stantine's motto, " In hoc signo mnces." The banner which Don Juan
of Austria received at Naples, on the 14th of April, 1571, with the
staff of supreme command over the Christian League, was made of
crimson damask, fringed with gold, on which were embroidered, be-
sides the arms of the prince a crucifix, with the arms of the Pope,
those of the Catholic king, and of the Eepublic of Venice, united by a
chain, symbolical of the union of the three powers " against the Turk."
A ship on the tapestry of the House of Lords, which has been de-
stroyed by fire, exhibited the royal standard at the main, swallow-
tailed banners at the fore and mizzen, and a St. George ensign.
In a very old representation of the fight with the Spanish Armada,
on the coast of England, all the ships wear ensigns, flags, and streamers.
The Venetian galleys of the fourteenth century carried blue banners
and ensigns, blazoned with the winged lion and book of St. Mark, or.
A manuscript in the British Museum, of the time of Henry VIIL,
assigning directions relative to the size of banners, standards, &c.,
says : " A streamer shall stand in the toppe of a shippe, or in the fore
castle, and therein be putt no armes, liut in mans conceit or device,
and may be of the lengthe of twenty, thirty, forty, or sixty yardes,
and it is slitte as well as a guyd homme or standarde, and that may
36 THE SYMBOLS. STANDAIIDS. AND r.ANNKKS
a «'eutler man nr aiiv ullier liavc and Iteare." This answers to the
description of the modern coach-\vhi]> ])ennant, used to denote the com-
mander of a single ship of ■war.
When William, Prince of Orange, sailed for England, on the 21st
of October, 1G88, with live hundred sail, he carried the Hag of Eng-
land and his own arms, with this motto: " I vjill maintain fhr Prot-
ectant luliijiun and the Liberties of JSnf/land."
SOVEEEIGXTY OF THE SEA. — STRIKING FLAGS.
As early as the reigu of King John, England claimed the sover-
eignty of the narrow seas surrounding her little island, and in the
second year of his reign, 1200, it was declared by the Ordinance of
Hastings, so called from the place where it bore date, " That if any
lieutenant of the king's fleet, in any naval expedition, do meet witli
on the sea any ships or vessels, laden or unladen, that will not %ail
and lower their sails at the command of the lieutenant of the king,
or the king's admiral, or his lieutenant, but shall tight with them of
the fleet, such, if taken, shall be reputed as enemies, and their ships,
vessels, and goods be seized, and forfeited as the goods of enemies, not-
withstanding any thing that the masters or owners thereof may after-
wards come and alledge of such ships, vessels, and goods, lieing the
goods of those in amity with our lord the king ; and that the common
sailors on board the same .shall be punished for their rebellion with
imprisonment of their bodies at discretion." ^
In the reign of ]\Iary, 1554, a Spanish fleet of one hundred and
sixty sail, having Philip, their king, on board, to espouse Queen Mary,
fell in with that of England, of twenty-eight sail, under the command
of Lord William Howard, lord high admiral, in the narrow seas.
Philip had the flag of Spain flying at the maintop-masthead, and
W'ould have passed the English fleet without paying the customary
honors, had not the English admu'al fired a shot at the Spanish ad-
miral, and forced the whole fleet to strike their colors and loiver their
topsails as an homage to the English flag, before he would permit his
squadron to salute the Spanish prince.
In the reign of James I., in 1604, a dispute having arisen between
the English and Dutch with respect to the compliment of the flag, a
fleet was sent to sea under the command of Sir William Monson, who,
on his arrival in the Downs, discovered a squadron of Dutch men-of-
war, whose admiral, on Sir William ]\Ionson's passing their squadron,
1 Kent's Biog. Xau., vol. i. ; Buicliet's Naval History ; Macaulay.
OF ANCIENT AND MODERN NATIONS. 37
struck his flag three times. The English admiral, not satisfied with
the compliment, persisted in his keeping it struck during his cruise on
the English coast.
November, 1625, Sir Eobert Mansell fell in with six French men-
of-war on the coast of Spain, and obliged their admiral to strike his
flag, and pay him the usual compliments.
In 1629, the various disputes constantly arising respecting the
honor of the flag, which the English claimed, induced Hugo Grotius to
write a treatise called ' Mare Liberum,' on the futility of the English
title to the dominion of the sea, which he considered was a gift from
God common to all nations.
When Sir John Pennington carried the Duke of Hamilton into
Germany, in 1631, the Dutch ships which he met with in the Baltic
Sea made no difiiculty in striking their flags to him ; and the same
respect was paid by the Dutch admirals in the Mediterranean.
In 1634, Mr. Selden wrote a treatise in answer to Grotius, called
' Mare Clausum,' in wliich he asserted that Britons " have an hereditary
and uninterrupted right to the sovereignty of their seas, conveyed to
them from their ancestors, in trust for their latest posterity." A copy
of this book was ordered by the king " to be kept in the Court of
Admiralty, there to remain as a just evidence of our dominion of
the sea." A proclamation was published the same year, asserting the
sovereignty of the sea, and to regulate the manner of wearing the flag.
In 1635, at the blockade of Dunkirk, the admiral of Holland
always struck his flag to any English ship of war which came within
sight. The same year, the combined fleets of France and Holland
vauntingly gave out that they intended to assert their independence,
and dispute that prerogative which the English claimed in the
narrow seas ; but as soon as they were informed an English fleet of
forty ships was at sea, and in search of them, they quitted the Eng-
lish coast and returned to their own.
On the 20th of August, 1636, the Dutch vice-admiral, Van Dorp,
saluted the English admiral, the Earl of Northumberland, by lowering
his topsails, striking his flag, and firing of guns ; and the same year,
on the Earl's return to the Downs, he discovered twenty-six sail of
Spaniards from Calais, bound to Dunkirk, who, on their own coast,
upon his approach, paid him like marks of respect.
In the same ship (The Happy Entrance), Sir George Cartaret, the
same year, carried the Earl of Arundel to Helvoet Sluice, where Van
Tromp, the Dutch admiral, was then riding at anchor, M'ho took in his
flag, although Sir George wore none, and saluted him with seven
38 THE SYM15(tLS. STAXDARDS. AND BANNERS
giiiis ; 1)111 " in ivuTinl lie ^va.s in a liarbor of the States General, he
hoisted it aijain."
A French ship of war at Fayal, the same year (KISG), struck her
flag, and kept it in while a Ih'itish ship of war was in sight; and
another French ship of war, coming out of Lisbon, struck her topsails
to Sir rdchard I'lumUy.
The memorable war with Holland, in 1()."2, was occasioned by
Commodore Young's having fired upon a J )utch man-of-war, on the
14th of May, 1G52, Avhich had refused the accustomed honor of the Hag.
Young first sent a boat on board the Dutchman to persuade him to
strike. The Dutch captain very honestly replied, that " the States had
to take off his head if he struck." Upon this the fight began, and
the enemy were soon compelled to submit. There were present two
other ships of war and about twelve merchantmen, none of which in-
terfered ; nor, after the Dutch ships had taken in their flags, did Com-
modore Young attempt to make any prizes.^
On the 4th of April, 1G54, a peace was concluded between England
and Holland, by which the Dutch consented to acknowledge the sov-
ereignty of the sea to the English.
" That the ships of the Dutch, as well ships of war as others, meet-
ing any of the ships of war of the English Commonwealth in the
British seas, shall strike their flags and lower their topsail, in such
manner as hath ever been at any time heretofore practised under any
forms of government."
This is the first instance of England's establishing her right by a
formal treaty .^
In 1673, an order was issued to the commanders of his ^Majesty's
ships of war, that in future they were not to require from the ships
of w^ar of France the striking of the flag or topsail, or salute ; neither
were they to give any salute to those of the Christian king.^
On the 9tli of February, 1704, another treaty was made with Hol-
land, which stipulated that any Dutch ships of war or others meeting
those of the King of Great Britain, " in any of the seas from Cape
Finisterre to the middle point of the land Van Staten, in Norway,
shall strike their topsail and lower their flag, in the same manner and
with the like testimony of respect as has been usually paid at any
time or place heretofore by the Dutch ships to those of the king or
his ancestors."
1 Burchet's Naval History ; Naval Biography. London, 1800.
- Anderson's Origin of Commerce, vol. ii.
* Memoirs relating to tlie Navy.
OF A^X'IENT AND MODERN NATIONS. 39
In 1704, a dispute arose at Lisbon respecting the ceremony of the
flag, in which the English admiral, Sir George Eooke, the King of
Spain, and the King of Portugal, were participators. The King of Por-
tugal required that on his coming on board the admiral's ship in his
barge of state, and striking his standard, the English flag might be
struck at the same time ; and that when his Catholic Majesty, wdth
himself, should go off from the ship, his standard might be hoisted,
and the admiral's flag continued struck until they were on shore.
This proposition was made from the King of Portugal to the King of
Spain. The admiral replied, " That his Majesty, so long as he should
be on board, might command the flag to be struck when he pleased ;
but that whenever he left the ship, he was himself admiral, and
obliged to execute his commission by immediately hoisting his flag."
" So the flag of England was no longer struck than the standard of
Portugal." ^
Only six years before our Eevolutionary war, viz. in 1769, a French
frigate anchored in the Downs, without paying the customary sa-
lute, and Captain John Hollwell, of the Apollo frigate^ sent an oflicer
on board to demand it. The French captain refused to comply ;
upon which Captain HollM-ell ordered the Hawke sloop of war to
fire two shots over her, when the Frenchman thought proper to strike
his colors and salute.
Falconer's ' Dictionary,' published the same year, contains the reg-
ulations of the royal navy with regard to salutes, and says : " All foreign
ships of war are expected to take in their flag and strike their topsails
in acknowledgment of his Majesty's sovereignty in his Majesty's seas;
and, if they refuse, it . is enjoined to all flag-officers and commanders
to use their utmost endeavors to compel them thereto, and not suffer
any dishonor to be done his Majesty." " And it is to be observed in
his Majesty's seas his Majesty's ships are in no wise to strike to any ;
and that in other parts no ship is to strike her flag or topsail to any
foreigner, unless such foreign ship shall have first struck, or at the
same time strike, her flag or topsail to his Majesty's ship."
Instances of British arrogance in claiming this sovereignty of the
narrow seas could be multiplied.
The present rule for ships of the United States meeting the flag-
ships of war of other nations at sea, or in foreign parts, is for the
United States vessel to salute the foreign ship first, if she be com-
1 Campbell's Lives of the Admirals, vol. iii. ; James's Naval History ; Lediard's
Naval History ; Entick's Naval History ; Burchet's Naval History ; Harris's Hist. Eoyal
Navy ; Schomberg's Naval Chronology, &c.
40 THK SYMI50LS, STAM )A1JI )S, AND r.ANNKKS
inaiuled l)y an ntlicer his superior in r;ink, and lie receives assurance
that he will receive gun for gun in return. The national flag of the
vessel saluted is displayed at the fore and the jib, hoisted at the fii'st
gun and hauleil down at the last.
" Xo vessel of the navy is to lower her sails or dip her colors to
another vessel of the navy ; but should a foreign vessel, or merchant
vessel of the United States, dip her colors or lower her sails to any
vessel of the navy, the compliment shall be instantly returned."
THE STANDARDS OF SYMBOLIC MASOXEY. — STANDARD OF
THE INDEPEXDEXT ORDER OF ODD FELLOWS. — STAND-
ARDS OF THE KXIGHTS TEMPLAR AXD KXIGHTS OF ST.
JOHX.
Standards of Symbolic ;^L\.soNRY. — The standard designated as
the principal or general standard of symbolic masonry is described
as follows : —
The escutcheon or shield on the banner is divided into four com-
partments or quarters by a green cross, over which a narrower one
of the same length of linil), and of a yellow color, is placed, forming
what is called a cross vert, voided or ; each of the compartments
formed by the limits of the cross is occupied by a different device.
In the first quarter is placed a golden lion in a field of blue, to repre-
sent the standard of the tribe of Judah ; in the second, a black ox
on a field of gold, to represent Ephraim ; in the third, a man in a field
of gold, to represent Reuben ; and in the fourth, a golden eagle on a
blue ground, to represent Dan. Over all is placed on a crest an ark
of the covenant, and the motto is, " Holiness to the Lord." Besides
this, there are six other standards proper to be borne in processions,
the material of which must be white bordered with a blue fringe or
ribbon, and on each of which is inscribed one of the following words :
Faith, Hope, Charity, Wisdom, Strength, Beauty.
In the royal arch degree, as recognized in the Ignited States, there
are five standards • —
The royal arch standard, for commandery use, is of scarlet silk,
usually twelve by eighteen inches, with painted quarterings ; viz., a
lion, a priest, a bull, and an eagle.
The royal arch captain carries a white standard, emblematic of
purity of heart and rectitude of conduct.
The standard of the master of the third vail is scarlet, emblematic
OF ANCIENT AND MODERN NATIONS.
41
of fervency and zeal, and is the appropriate color of the royal arch
degree.
The standard of the master of the second vail is purple, which is
emblematic of union, being a due mixture of blue and scarlet, the
appropriate colors of the symbolic and royal arch degrees ; and this
teaches to cultivate the spirit of harmony and love between brethren
of the symbolic and companions of the sublime degrees, which should
ever distinguish the members of a society founded upon the principle
of everlasting truth and universal philanthropy.
The standard of the master of the first vail is blue, the peculiar
color of the ancient craft or symbolic degTees, which is emblematic of
universal friendship and benevolence.
In the royal arch degrees, as practised in the chapters of England,
twelve standards are used, illustrating the twelve tribes of Israel,
which are as follows : ^ —
1. Judah, scarlet, a lion couchant.
2. Issachar, bhie, an ass.
3. Zebulon, purple, a ship.
4. Eeuben, red, a man.
5. Simeon, yellow, a sword.
6. Gad, white, a troop of horsemen.
7. Ephraim, green, an ox.
8. Manasseh, flesh color, a vine by
the side of a wall.
9. Benjamin, green, a wolf.
10. Dan, green, an eagle.
11. Asher, purple, a cup.
12. Xaphtali, blue, a hind.
: The rabbins suppose that the standards of the Jewish tribes were
flags bearing figures, derived from the comparisons used by Jacob in
his prophetic blessing to his sons. Genesis xlix.^
The following-described banners are used in the lodo;es of the
United States, viz. : —
Tlie Persian hanner, twelve by eighteen inches, with a sun ond rays
on the upper half, and three crescents on the lower half This banner
is usually blue.
1 Macoy's Cyclopedia of Masomy.
2 In removing Cleopatra's Needle, at Alexandria, Egypt, from its base for transpor-
tation to the United States, in the latter part of 1879, Lieut. -Commander Gorringe,
U. S. N., made the interesting discovery of the following masonic emblems under its base ;
viz., a block of hewn syenite granite, 40 inches in the cube, representing a perfect masonic
altar. Under this a white marble slab, representing the apron, 102 inches long and 51
inches broad and 25^ inches thick, the upper half hewn into a perfect square. At the
same level, and in the west angle of the foundation, another block of syenite gi-anite,
markedly regular in form, the surface of which represented rough ashlar steps, and
the foundation of which was composed of white granite. Besides these four pieces
were other less noticeable but equally significant emblems. — Boston Jouriml, Jan. 22,
1880.
42 THE svMr.oLs, staxdai^ds, and I'.annehs
A white silk haancr. ■ Motto at top, " IVtc v:ill of God ; " a ^Maltese
cross in the centre ; a lanil» and small itennant lieluw. The cross on
staff conipi ).sed of four passit )n crosses.
A white silk banner, as above, with cock, shield, s]»ear, sword, and
trumpet, also an axe.
A white silk banner, with a nine-i»ointed star ; in the centre of the
star a Maltese cross, surrounded by the motto, " Ecx regium, Dominns
dominorum." ^
The rcgidation grand standard of masonic knight/iood (Kuitjfhts
Templar) is of white silk, six feet in height and five feet in width,
made tripartite at the bottom, fastened at the top to the crossbar by
nine rings. In the centre of the standard a blood-red passion cross,
edged with gold, over which is the motto, " In hoc signo vinecs," and
under, " No7i nobis, Domine, non nobis, sed notnini tuo da gloinam ! "
The cross is four feet long and seven inches wide. On the top of the
staff is a gilded ball or globe four inches in diameter, surmounted by
a patriarchal cross twelve inches in height.
The grand' standard of the ancient and acccj)tcd Scottish rite is of
silk, three and a half feet long by two and a half wide, edged w'ith gold,
gold fringe, and tassels. In the centre a double-headed eagle, under
which, on a blue scroll, the motto, " Deus meumque jus." In the
upper part of a triangle irradiated over the crowned heads of the
eagle are the ficjures 33 in the centre.^
The stctjidard of the Red Cross Knights is a green sillc banner,
suspended by nine rings on a stretcher. In the centre of the ban-
ner is a Geneva cross within a six-pointed star, with this motto
around it, " Magna, est Veritas et 2Jrevalebit." A trefoil cross heads
the staff.
Another standard is a green silk fiatr, with triijle triangles, and a
passion cross in the centre of each triangle ; a trophy below, com-
posed of a spear, two crossed swords, a trowel, trumpet, and sash
grouped. On the sash, " Venici Ini}). Trata." A Geneva-shaped cross
on the top of the staff.^
Standakd of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows of the
United States. — At a meeting of the Grand Lodge of the United
States, held in Baltimore, September, 1868, a committee, consisting
of William E. Ford, of IMassachusetts, Joseph B. Escavaille, and Fred.
D. Stuart, submitted the following design for a flag, to be the flag of
1 Letter of Hoistnian Brotliers & Co., Philadelphia, Jan. 8, 1880.
2 Macoy's Cyclopedia of Masonry.
OF ANCIENT AND MODERN NATIONS.
43
the order at the approaching celebration of the fiftieth anniversary
of the introduction of Odd Fellowship on this continent : —
^^ Resolved, That the R. W. Grand Lodge adopt for an Odd Fellows' flag
the pattern or design presented by the special committee appointed for that
purpose ; to wit, ' the flag to be manufactured of white material, either
bunting, satin, or cotton cloth, as may be selected by those desiring one.
The proportions to be 1 1-19 of the length to the width. The emblems to con-
sist of the three links, to be placed in the centre of the flag, Avith tlie letters
I. 0. 0. F., to be painted or wrought in scarlet color, and trimmed with
material of the same color. Wherever the flag is to be used by the encamp-
ments there should be added two crooks.'
" Resolved, That the E. AV. Grand Corresponding and Eecording Secretary
be and he is hereby instructed to procure a flag of suitable size and proportions
as above described for this Grand Lodge, to be used for the first time at the
celebration of our fiftieth anniversary, on the 26th of April, and in addition
to the emblems add the letters G. L. U. S."
Mr. Havenner, of the District of Columbia, proposed that after the
letters I. 0. 0. F. in the resolution there should be inserted, " and the
name of the State, District, or Territory using it;" and Mr. Eoss
of New Jersey moved further to amend, by adding that the letters
" I. 0. 0. F. and F. L. T. may be inserted in the links." These amend-
ments were agreed to, and tlie flag as thus amended adopted, Friday,
Sept. 25, 1868.
At the meeting of the Grand Lodge in Chicago, September, 1871,
it was voted that the crooks should be " painted or wrought in purple."
It was subsequently proposed that this flag should be only used
for grand lodges and encampments, and that
the subordinate lodges and encampments
should have a smaller flag, — of scarlet, if
only a lodge, and of pvuple, if an encamp-
ment ; but it was considered by a select
committee of five, reported against, and voted
unnecessary.
The Hospitallers, or Knights of St.
John of Jerusalem, PtHODES, and of Malta.
— As early as the middle of the eleventh
century some jnerchants of Amalfi obtained
IVoni the Caliph of Egypt permission to
t of Malta.i
4to.
Fac-simile of a wood-cut in Jost Ammans, 'Cleri Totius Komanai Ecclesite Habitus.'
Frankfort, 15S5.
44 Tin: svmi'.ols. si'axdauds, and uanxeks
build a lidspital at Jerusalem, ^vllicll they dedicated to St. John, and
in which they received and sheltered the poor pilgrims who visited
the Holy Land. Crodirey de Louillon and his successors encouraged
this charitable institution, and Ijcstowed upon it large donations.
Pierre Ca'rard, a native ol' Provence, proposed to the brothers who
managed the hospital to renounce the world, to don a regular dress,
and to form an uncloistered monastic order, under the name of the
Hospitallers. PojDe Pascal II. appointed Gerard director of the' new
institution, which he formally authorized, took the Hospitallers under
his protection, and granted them many privileges.
Driven out of Jerusalem by Saladin in 1191, they transferred their
hospital to Margat, until the capture of Acre, in \vhich they took part
in 1192, when they established themselves there, and took the name
of ' Knights of St. John of Acre.' Driven from their new residence by
the Infidels, by permission of the King of Cyprus they established the
central house of their order in the town of Limisso. Heavily taxed
by the King of Cyprus at Limisso, and having to defend themselves
from the Saracens, in 130G the Hospitallers laid siege to Rhodes,.
which, after an investment of four years, was taken by assault in 1310,
and thence became their home, and gave to them the title of ' Knights
of Pthodes ' for more than two centuries, or until 1522, when, Rhodes
being taken by Solyman, they retired into Candia, thence into Sicily,
and in 1530 removed to the Island of Malta, which was ceded to
them by Charles V., and became the definitive residence of the order ;
thenceforward they assumed the title of 'Knights of Malta.' The
Emperor Paul of Russia declared himself grand
4) master of the order, June, 1799 ; and the Czar
i '■ of Russia has continued to be the grand master
nnd patron of the order to the present time.
The banner of the Hospitallers of St. John of
Jerusalem was black, and charged with a white'
I ir silver cross of eight points.
Every country in Europe furnished its quota
^ to the Order of Malta, which entirely replaced
that of St. John, and was divided into eight
tongues or nations, each under the direction of
a grand prior. The regular dress of the order
HospitaUer's Standard. . r. i i t ^ ■ \
consisted m each nation of a black robe, with
a pointed cape of the same color ; on the left sleeve of each robe was
a cross of white linen of eight points, typical of the eight beatitudes
they were always supposed to possess, and which, according to a man-
OF ANCIENT AND MODERN NATIONS. 45
uscript preserved in the library of the arsenal, were: 1. Spiritual
contentment ; 2. A life free from malice ; 3. Eepentance for sins ;
4. Meekness nnder suffering; 5. A love of justice; 6. A merciful dis-
position ; 7. Sincerity and frankness of heart ; and, 8. A capability of
enduring persecution. At a later period, the regulations permitted the
knight to wear an octagonal golden cross inlaid with white enamel,
and suspended from the breast with black watered ribbon. This badge
was decorated so as to distinguish the country of the bearer ; namely,
Germany, by an imperial crown and eagle ; France, the crown and
fleur-de-lis, &c.
All the insignia of the order were symbols. The pointed black
mantle with its peaked cape, worn only on occasions of solemn cere-
mony, was typical of the robe of camel's hair worn by St. John the
Baptist, the patron of the order ; the cords which fastened the mantle
about the neck and fell over the shouldet" were significant of the pas-
sion our Saviour suffered with such calmness and resignation ; the
girdle around his waist signified he was bound for the future by the
vows of the order ; the golden spurs on his heels were emblems that
he was bound to fl}'" wherever honor called him. and to trample under
his feet the riches of this world. At his initiation, the knight bran-
dished his sword around his head in token of defiance of the unbe-
lievers, and returned it to its scabbard, first passing it under his arm
as if to wipe it, as a symbol that he intended to preserve it free from
stain.
In time of battle, the members wore a red doublet embroidered
with an eight-pointed cross, and over it a black mantle with a white
cross.
The Knights Templak originated twenty years after the estab-
lishment of the Hospitallers, in the piety of nine French knights, who
in 1118 followed Godfrey de Bouillon to the Crusades. They were
suppressed March 22, 1312. Baldwin II. granted them a dwelling
within the teniple walls, a circumstance which gave them the name of
' Templars,' or ' Knights of the Temple.' At first they led a simple
and regular life, and, contenting themselves with the humble title of
" Poor Soldiers of Jesus Christ," their charity and devotion obtained
for them the sympathy of the kings of Jerusalem and the Eastern
Christians, who made them frequent and considerable donations. In
the first nine years of their existence, from 1118 to 1127, the Templars
admitted no strangers to their ranks ; but their number having nev-
ertheless considerably increased, they soon preferred a request to the
46
THI-: SYMHOLS, STANDARDS. AND BANNERS
Holy See to i-atity tlioiv order. At the Council of Troyes, in 1128,
Hugues de Payens, with five of his companions, presented the letters
that thu Ijrotherhood
had received from the
Pope and the Patriarch
of Jerusalem, to<^fether
with the certificate of
the founding of their
order. Cardinal Mat-
thew, wiiu jjresided
over the council, grant-
ed them an authentic
confirmation of their
order ; and a special
code ^vas drawn up for
them under the guid-
ance of St. Bernard.
St. Bernard, descril>
ing the Kniglits Tem-
plar in their early
days, says: "They lived
without any thing they
could call their own ;
not even their fair will.
They are generally
simply dressed, and
covered with dust,
their faces embrowned
^^'itll the burning sun,
and a fixed, severe ex-
pression. On the eve
of battle, they arm
themselves with faith within and steel without : these are their only
decoration ; and they use them with valor, in the greatest perils
fearing neither the number nor the strength of the barljarians.
Their whole confidence is placed in the God of armies, and fighting
for his cause they seek death. Oh, happy way of lil'e, in which
they can await death without fear, desire it with joy, and receive
it with assurance ! " The oath they took on their entrance, found
in the archives of the Abbey of Accobaga, in Aragon, was as fol-
lows : —
A ICui^'lit Templar.
OF A^'CIEXT AND MODERN NATIONS.
47
A Templar iii Travelling Dress.i
" I swear to consecrate my words, my arms, my strength, and my
life to the defence of the mysteries of the faith and that of the unity
of God. I also promise to be submissive and obedient to the Grand
Master of the Order. Whenever it is needful,
I will cross seas to fight. I will give help
against all infidel kings and princes ; and, in
the presence of three enemies, I will not fly,
but fight, if they are infidels."
The Templars were bound to go to mass
three times a week, and to communicate thrice
a year. They w^ore a white robe, symbolical
of purity, to which Pope Eugenius III. added
a red cross, to remind them of their oaths to
be always ready to .shed their blood in de-
fence of the Christian religion. Their rules
were of great austerity. They prescribed
perpetual exile, and war for the holy places to the death. The
Knights were to accept every combat, however outnumbered they
might be, to ask no quarter, and to give no ransom. The unbelievers
dreaded no enemy so much as these poor soldiers of Christ, of whom
it was said that they possessed the gentleness of
the lamb and the patience of the hermit, united
to the courage of the hero and the strength of the
lion.
The Knights Templar carried at their head
their celebrated standard, called the ' beauceant,'
or 'scant,' which bore the motto, " JSfon nohis,
Domine, non nobis, sed nomini tuo da gloriani;"'^
and after this they marched to battle reciting
prayers, having first received the holy sacrament.
It was in 1237 that the knight who carried the
beauceant in an action when the Mussulmans
had the advantage, held it raised above his head
until his conquerors, with redoubled blows, had
pierced his whole body and cut off both his hands.
The beauceant was of woollen or silk stuff, six feet in height and
five feet in width, and tripartite at the bottom, fastened at the top to
the crossbar by nine rings. The upper half of the standard \vas
A Kuiglits Templar
Standard.
^ Fac-simile from Jost Ammaiis, ' Cleri Toitus Romanse Ecclesiffi Habitus.' Frauk-
fort, 158.5.
2 " Not to lis, Lord, not to us, but to thy name ascribe the glory."
48
'riii: sYMr.dLs. s'1'am».\i;i>s. and t-annkks
black,
aud tlie lower hall' whiLe. The illustration of this standard is
as it is represented in the Tenqih' Church, at Lon-
diiu. They also displayed aljove their ibrniidable
lance a second banner of their own colors, white,
tharm'd uitli a retl cross of the order, of eight
])oiuts.
In 130'J, the Kni;_;hts Templar Mere suppressed,
and by a papal bull, dated A])ril 3, 1312, their order
was al.iolished. Numbers of the order were tried,
condemned, and burnt alive or hanged, 1308-10 ;
and it suffered great persecutions throughout Eu-
rope; eiglity-eigbt were burnt at Paris, 1310. The
grand master, De Alolay, was burnt alive at Paris,
March, 1314.
The Beauceaut.
ANCIENT MILITAEY STAND AEDS. —THE EGYPTIAN, GEE-
CIAN, HEBREW, ASSYPJAN, PERSIAN, STANDARDS.
Of Standards.
Ancient Military Standards consisted of a symbol carried on a
Xiole. In more modern times, they were the largest and most important
flags borne. Fixed on the tops of towers or elevated places, or on plat-
forms, and always the rallying-point in battle, they obtained the name
of 'standards,' from being stationary. Ducauge derives the name from
standaruvi or stantarum, standardum, standafc, used in corrupt Latin
to signify the principal flag in an army. Menage derives it from the
German slander, or English stand. The standard might or might not
have a banner attached to it. Although n(jw the two words are used
by custom without distinction, it is nevertheless true there might be
a thousand banners in the field, but there could be but one standard
of the kincr.
Isis.
Egyptian Standards. — The Egyptians consid-
ered Osiris, the eldest son of the Nile, as their
first king, and believed that his soul ascended
into the sun, and adored him in that planet. His
sister and wife, Isis, remained queen after -his death,
and estaljlished female y^ower in Egypt. At her
death she was reputed to have made her resurrec-
tion into the moon with her son Orus, the god of
OF ANCIENT AND MODERN NATIONS.
49
futurity, and thus was established the Egyptian trinity of Osiris,. Isis,
and Orus, whose mysterious motto was, " I am all that vxis, that is, and
that shall be," represented in a solar triangle. The annual feast of Isis,
or Daughter of the Nile, was on the vernal equinox (March 21), which
was the annunci-
ation of the open-
ing of its naA'i-
gation after a
stormy winter.
On that day her
image — a statue
of solid gold
standing on a
crescent and
clouds of silver
— was carried in
solemn proces-
sion. She had a
glory of twelve
golden stars
around her head,
symbolic of the
twelve lunar
months ; and her
own shining face
represented the
thirteenth, which
was the sacred
moon, or the equi-
noctial month of
spring.
In subsequent
ages, Avhen Egypt
was conquered
by the Eomans, the conquerors adopted the worship of Isis, and con-
secrated her equinoctial feast as " Nostrce Domince Dies " (Our Lady
Day), and qualified her the " Heaven's open gate ; " Star of the Sea ;
Queen of the Heavenly Sjjheres ; and introduced the feast and labaruni
or banner of Isis and her legendary worship into all the conquered
provinces of the Eoman Empire. Her attributes remind one of the
" Queen of Heaven " of the Chinese mythology of to-day, and ]\Iuril-
lo's paintings of the Virgin ]\Iary.
Egj'ptian Standards.
no
THE SYM150LS. STANDARDS. AND I'.ANNKIJS
The invention of stiuidards is attributed, with f,'reat itrobal»ility, to
the Kgyptians, as they had the earliest organized military forces of
which we have any knowledge, and it is equally probable that the
Hebrews obtained the idea, or at least the use, of ensigns from the
Egyptians. Tlie wandering tribes of shepherds who concpiered Egy])t
set one of their pastoral chiefs as king on the throne of Osiris. This
warlike shepherd introduced into Egypt the annual oblation of an
unblemished lamb or kid, sacred to their conductor, the Angel Gabriel,
and bore a lamb as his standard.
When the Egyptians recovered their in-
dependence, under chieftains styled Phnro,
or revenger, the lamb on their standards,
arms, and coins was superseded by the
face of Pharo, but the oblation of the lamb
was continued. The illustration represents
a group of Egyptian standards as they
were used in the army in the time of Pha-
raoh.
According to Diodorus, the Egyptians
standards of Pharaoh. carried an animal at the end of a spear
as their standard. Sir G. Wilkinson, in his work on the 'Ancient
Dl. IQ
Egyptian Standards, from Wilkinson.
OF ANCIENT AND MODERN NATIONS. 51
Egyptians,' speaking of their armies, says: "Each battalion, and
indeed each company, had its particular standard, which represented
a sacred subject, a king's name, a sacred boat, an animal, or some
emblematical device." Among the Egyptian standards there also
appear standards which resemble at the top a round-headed table-
knife or an expanded semicircular fan. Another of their ancient
standards was an eagle stripped of its feathers, — the emblem of the
Nile.
Greek Standards. — The Greeks set up a piece of armor at
the end of a spear as a rallying signal, and Homer makes Aga-
memnon use a purple vail with which to rally his men.
A white horse was the standard of Cecropia,
founded by Cecrops, the chieftain of an Egyptian
colony. This badge recalled that the finest white
horse had been brought by sea from Egypt into
Greece. The tradition of the white horse arriving
by sea was arranged into a sacred pedigree ; viz.,
, , ^ iSTeptune created a white war-horse to endow
The Horse and the Grass- '■
hopper. Athens. This swift animal was given to Mars, the
god of war, for the defence of the country and the standard of Attica.
The aborigines of Attica styled themselves the children of the earth,
and boasted to be sprung from the soil ; therefore they distinguished
themselves from aliens by wearing in their hair a grassliopper of gold
or silver, to signify that, like that insect, they were produced from the
ground. Tlie golden grasshopper was granted to any Athenian Avho
had rendered the country eminent service, and was later assumed by
the nobles of Athens, and it became a badge of Greek nobility. The
Athenians also bore an owl, the emblem of Minerva, and the olive, on
their standards. Other nations of Greece carried effigies of their
tutelary gods and their particularly chosen symbols on the end of a
spear. The Thessalonians adored the immortal sorrel horse Xanthus,
who spoke to his jnaster Achilles. The Corinthians bore a winged
horse, or Pegasus, on their standard ; the Messenians, the letter M; the
Lacedemonians, the letter L, in Greek, A. Alexander the Great, when
he began to claim for himself a divine origin, caused a standard to be
prepared, inscribed with the title of Son of Ammon, and planted it
near the image of Hercules, which, as that of his tutelary deity, was
the ensign of the Grecian host.
The standards and shields of the Thracians exhibited a death's-
head, as a signal to revenge the death of Thrax, the son of the nom-
52 Tin: symi'.ols. staxhak'ds. and I'.axnkks
inal father of tlu' Thraciaiis, a wandi'iin^ iieuple lu-ar the Black
Sea. This pL'u])lo settled iiurth of llyzantium, the
lunduiii llomania, aiul named their new country
Thrace. They soon took the city of ]Jyzantiiun,
Mliieh \vas dedicated to Diana, and united her
syndjul, 'the crescent,' to 'the death's-head' of
Thrax, to whom they paid divine resi)ect. The
Dfiilli's-lioail and
leath's-head and crescent were afterward adopted
cits^eiit. by the Piomans, Turks, and other nations which
iu^'aded Thracia and Byzanlium.
The Chaldeans adored the sun, and represented it on their stand-
ard. Heber, a Chaldean, gave his name to his descendants, who were
called the children of Heber, or the Hebrews. The greater numl)er of
the Hebrews were born in Ur, a city of Chaldea, in which a perpetual
fire and lamp were sacred to Baal, or the sun of Chaldea. The money
of Hebron bore the type of Heber adoring the sun.^
Hebrew Standards. — In the time of Moses, the Hebrews had
their emblems. We find in the book of Xumljers, 1401 B.C., 1st
chapter, 5 2d verse, the children of Israel directed to " pitch their tents
every man by his own camp, and every man by his own standard,
throughout their hosts ; " and 2d chapter, 2d verse, " Every man of the
children of Israel shall pitch [camp] by his own standard, with the
ensicrn of their father's house : far off about the tabernacle of the con-
O
gregation."
In the wilderness, says Adam Clarke, they were marshalled accord-
ing to their tribes, each tribe being subdivided into families. Every
head of a subdivision or thousand was furnished with an ensign or
standard, under which his followers arranged themselves according to
a preconcerted plan, both when in camp and when on the march ; and
thus all confusion was prevented, how hastily soever the order might
be given to proceed, or halt and pitch their tents. The four leading
divisions — viz., Eeuben, Ephraim, Judah, and Dan — were designated
by the component parts of the cherubim and seraphim, — a man, an
ox, a lion, and an eagle.
Solomon, of the tribe of Judah, hoisted the standard of the lion in
Jerusalem. According to the Talmudists, the standard of Judah had
on it a lion painted, with this inscription, " Eise, Lord, let thine ene-
mies be dispersed, and let those that hate thee flee before thee." They
gave to Issachar an ass ; to Zebulun, a ship ; to Eeuben, a river, and
^ Bninet's Eegal Armorie.
OF A^X'IENT AND MODERN NATIONS.
53
sometimes the figure of a man ; to Simeon, a sword ; to Gad, a lion ; to
Manasseh, an ox ; to Benjamin, a wolf; to Dan, a serpent or an eagle.
standards and Devices of the Hebrews.
The ensign of Asher was a handful of corn, and that of Naphtali a stag.
The cities of Samaria and Shechem, being in the land of the tribe of
Joseph, the standard of Samaria bore the bough or palm of Joseph.
Allusions to standards, banners, and ensigns are frequent in the
Holy Scriptures. The post of standard-bearer was at all times of
the greatest importance, and none but officers of aj)proved valor
were ever chosen for such service ; hence Jehovah, describing the
ruin and discomfiture which he was about to bring on the haughty
king of Assyria, says, " And they shall be as when a standard-bearer
fainteth."
Assyrian Standards. — Nineveh, the capital of Assyria, had for
its device an arrow, which represented the swiftness of the Tigris,
whose waters washed its walls, — the Chaldean name, Tigris, express-
ing the swiftness of an arrow. Semiramis, the widow of Ninus the
son of Belus, its founder, liaving united Xineveh to Babylon, founded
54
THE SYMBOLS, STANI>.\i;i)-. .\XI> I'.AXNKK.S
tlu' first gi'eat ciniiiro of tlie ^v(lrl(l. Her subjects symbolized her by
a turtle-dove, aud that liird was stamped on the coins, witli an arrow
on the reverse. MossduI, built on
tlic ruins of Nineveh, impressed
on its goods the sign of an arrow
and dove ; and tliat badge, ])rinted
on a light stuff called muslin, has
been exported to all modern na-
tions.^
Among the sculptures of Nine-
veh which Layard brought to light
are representations of the stand-
ards of the Assyrians carried by
Assyrian standavds. cliariotecrs. These sculptures
have only two devices : one of a figure standing on a bull and draw-
ing a bow ; the other, two bulls running in opposite directions, sup-
posed to be the symbols of peace and war. These figures are enclosed
in a circle, and fixed to a long staff ornamented with streamers and
tassels. These standards seem to have been partly supported by a rest
in front of the chariot. A long rope connected them with the ex-
tremity of the pole. In the bass-relief at Khorsabad this rod is
attached to the bottom of the standard.
Perslvn Standards. — The standard of ancient Persia, adopted by
Cyrus, according to Herodotus, and Xenophon, and perpetuated, was a
golden eagle with outstretched wdngs painted on a white flag.
The standard of Koah, the sacred standard of the Persians, was
originally the leather apron of the blacksmith Kairah, or Koah, which
he reared as a banner B.C. 800, when he aroused the people and de-
livered Persia from the tyranny of Sohek, or Bivar, surnamed Deh-ak
(ten vices). It was embroidered with gold, and enlarged from time
to time with costly silk, until it was twenty-two feet long and fifteen
broad ; and it w^as decorated with gems of inestimable value. With
this standard the fate of the kingdom was believed by superstitious
Persians to be connected.
This standard w^as victorious over the Moslems at the battle of
El liser, or the battle of the bridge, a.d. 634, and was captured by
them two years later at the battle of Kadesir, which the Persians call,
of Armath, and the jNIoslems, " the day of succor from the timely arrival
of reinforcements." To the soldier who captured it thirty thousand
1 Brunet's Regal Arniorie.
OF ANCIENT AND MODERN NATIONS. 55
pieces of gold was paid by command of Saad, and the jewels with
which it was studded were put with the other booty. In this battle,
which is as famous among the Arabs as Arbela among the Greeks,
thirty thousand Persians are said to have fallen, and seven thousand
Moslems.^ Thus, after 1,434 years' service, this standard was de-
stroyed.
The Persians also employed a figure of the sun, especially on great
occasions, when the king was present with his forces. Quintus Curtius
mentions the figure of the sun enclosed in crystal, which made a most
splendid appearance above the royal tent. To the present day the
sun continues to divide with the lion the honor of appearing upon
the royal standard of Persia.
Among the ancient sculptures at Persepolis are found other speci-
mens of ancient Persian standards. One of these consists of a staff
terminating in a divided ring, and having below a transverse bar,
from which two enormous tassels are suspended. The other consists
of five globular forms on a crossbar. They were doubtless of metal,
and probably had some reference to the heavenly bodies, Avhich were
the ancient objects of worship in -Persia. At the present day, the
flag-staff of the Persians terminates in a silver hand.
THE EOMAN STAND AEDS.
Eomulus, in founding Eome, adopted the image of the she-wolf,
his reputed foster-mother, as well as of his brother Eemus. The
Senate of Eomulus assumed the eagle of Jupiter, which became the
Eoman standard, with the wolf In the following ages, the Eomans
increased their standards to as many as ten differ-
ent badges. 1. The peacock of Juno. 2. The
boat of Isis. 3. The cock of Mars. 4. The im-
perial elephant. 5. The dragon of Trajan. 6. The
minotaurus of Crete. 7. The horse of Greece.
8. The pecus or sheep of Italy. 9 and 10. The
The Device of Romulus. ghc-Wolf and Cagle of EomuluS.^
Each legion of the Eoman army was divided into ten cohorts, each
cohort into three maniples, each maniple into two centurions, which
would give sixty centurions to a legion, the regular strength of which
was therefore six thousand ; sometimes the number of men in a legion
varied. In the time of Polybius, a legion had but four thousand two
hundred.
1 Irving's Successors of Mahomet. 2 Bruuet's EcEral Anuorie.
56
THK SYMllOLS, STANDAIJDS, AN1> I'.ANNKKS
"NVlien the army came near a jilace of encampment, tribunes and
centurions, with proper perst)ns appointed for that service, were sent
to mark out the ground, and assigneil to eacli his jiroper quailers,
■which tliey did by erecting flags (t-iwilla) of different colors. TJie
place for the general's tent was marked with a white Hag.
Each century, or at least each maniple, had its proper standard
and standard-bearer. The standard of a manipulus in the time of
Ifomulus was a bundle of hay tied to a i)ole. ^Vfterwards, a spear
with a cross-piece of wood on the top, sometimes the figure of a hand
above, probably in allusion to the word manqmlus ; and below, a small
W^^/^
Kuuiaii Staiulards.
round or oval shield, ou which w^ere represented the images of %var-
like deities, as Mars or Minerva, and in later times of the emperors
or of their favorites. Hence the standards w^ere called nuniina legi-
onum, and worshipped with religious adoration. There were also
standards of the cohorts. The standards of the different divisions of
the army had certain letters inscribed on them, to distinguish the
one from the other. The standard of the cavalry was called Tcxillv.m
(a flag or banner), from being a square piece of cloth fixed on the end
of a spear ; and Caesar mentions it as used by the foot, particularly by
the veterans who had served out their time, but under the emperors
OF ANCIENT AND MODERN NATIONS. 57
were still retained in the army, and fought in bodies distinct from
the legion, and under a particular standard of their own. Hence these
veterans were called vcxiUarii.
In the year 20 l.c, Phraates, the Parthian king, apprehensive
that an attack was meditated upon his dominions, endeavored to avert
it by sending to Augustus the Eoman standards and captives that
had been taken from Crassus and Anthony. This present was re-
ceived with the greatest joy, and was extolled as one of the most
glorious events of the emperor's reign. It was commemorated by
sacrifices and by the erection of a temple in the capitol to Mars, "the
avenger," in which the standards were dej^osited.^
To lose the standard was always disgraceful, j^articularly to the
standard-bearer, and was at times a capital crime. To animate the
soldiers, their standards were sometimes thrown
among the enemy. After a time, a horse, a
bear, and other animals were substituted for
the bundle of hay, open hand, &c. In the sec-
ond year of the consulate of Marius, 87 B.C., a
silver eagle with expanded wings, on the top
of a spear, with the thunderbolt in its claws, the
emblem of Jove, signifying might and power,
with the figure of a small chapel above it, was
assumed as the common standard of the legion;
Roman Standard. i^g^ce ciquila is oftcu put for legiou. The place
Bronzehorsehalf the sizeof the ^j.i'j.ii .i t i /.
original, which is preserved at ^^^ ^^^^^^ Standard was near the ordinary place of
Goodrich Court. the general, in the centre of the army. When
a general, after having consulted the auspices, determined to lead
forth his troops against the enemy, a red flag was displayed on a
spear from the top of the praetorium, as a signal to prepare for battle.^
The standard of Augustus was a globe, to indicate his conquest of
the globe. Eoman standards were also ornamented with dragons and
silver bells, as a trophy, after Trajan's conquest of the Dacians, a.d.
106, as shown on Trajan's column. The Etruscans were the first
who adopted the eagle as the symbol of royal power, and bore its
image as a standard at the head of their armies. Prom the time of
Marius it was the principal emblem of the Eoman Eepublic, and the
only standard of the legions. It was represented with outspread
^ Lynam's History of the Eoman Emperors, vol. i. p. 28. London, 1828.
2 Flag-Officer Farragut, when he ordered to pass the forts below New Orleans, April
23, 1861, directed a red lantern should be hoisted as the signal for getting under way ; thus
repeating the old Roman signal for battle, perhaps without ever having heard of it.
58
Tin-: SVM150LS, STANDAKDS, AND I'.ANNKKS
wiu-'s, and was usually of silver, till the time uf Ihiiliiaii, wliu matle
it of '^okl The (louhle-headcd eagle was iu use among the Byzantine
emperors, to indicate their claim to the empire both of the east and
west. From the Itnnian standard is derived the numercjus brood of
white, black, and red eagles, with single or douljle heads, which are
Roman Imperial Standards.
borne on so many of the standards of modern Europe. The countries
they represent claim to be fragments or descendants of the great
Roman Empire. The changes of the Eoman standard marked the
epoch of their conquests, first of the Greeks, then of the barbarians.
The double-headed eagle of Eussia marks the marriage of Ivan I.
OF ANCIENT AND MODERN NATIONS. 59
with a Grecian heiress, the princess of the Eastern empire ; and that
of Austria, the investiture of the emperors of Germany with the title
of ' Eoman Emperor.' The arms of Prussia are distinguished by the
black eagle, and those of Poland bear the white.
The Labaeum, or imperial .standard of Constantine the Great, which
he caused to be made in commemoration of his vision of a shining
^ cross in the heavens two miles long, has been described
,^-^l^>^ as a long pike, surmounted by a golden crown set with
jewels, and intersected by a transverse beam forming a
cross, from which depended a square purple banderole
wrought with the mysterious monogram, at once expres-
sive of the figure of the cross, and the two initial letters
I (X and P) of the name of Christ. The purple silken
The Labarum of banner, which hung down from the beam, was adorned
coustantine. ^^^]^ precious stoucs, and at first was embroidered with
the images of Constantine, or of the reigning monarch and his children.
Afterwards, the figure or emblem of Christ woven in gold was substi-
tuted, and it bore the motto, " In hoc signo vinces," — " In this sign
thou shalt conquer." The labarum is engraved on some of the medals
of Constantine with the famous inscription, ENTOTTflNIKA. This
banderole, which was about a foot square, judging from the height of
the men carrying the standard on ancient monuments, says Mont-
faucon, " was adorned with fringes and with precious stones, and had
upon it the figure or emblem of Christ." Prudentius describes its
glories with poetical fervor, and says, " Christ woven in jewelled gold
marked the puq^le labarum;" also, "that the monogram of Christ was
inscribed on the shields of the soldiers, and that the cross burned on
the crests of helmets." The illustration given of the labarum is from
a medal of Valentinan i (a.d. 364-375). It will be noticed there is
no crown on the staff.
A medal of the Emperor Constantine, which represents the banner
of the cross piercing the body of the serpent, and surmounted with the
monogram of Christ, with the motto, " Sjjes Fuhlica," expresses the
hope of the Christian world from the conversion of the emperor.
Upon the banner which hangs from the cross three circles are dis-
tinctly marked. As all the other objects upon this medallion have
a symbolical meaning, it may be assumed that these three circles
have one.
The labarum is believed to have been the first military standard
1 Appleton's Journal, Dec. 28, 1872.
60
THE SVMI'.nl.s, STANDAKDS. AM) 15ANNEKS
emblazoned with tho cross. It was preserved for a coiisideraljle time,
and lironyjlit lorwavd at the head of the armies of the emperor on
im]iortant occasions, as the palladium of the empire. With it Con-
stantine adv.niccd to l^ome, where he vancpiishcd ^hi.xentius, Oct. 27,
A.D. 312.
The safety of the labarum was intrusted to lifty guards of al»pro^•ed
valor and fidelity. Their station was marked by honors and emolu-
ments ; and some fortunate accidents soon introduced an opinion that
the guards of the labarum were secure and invulnerable among the
darts of the enemy. In the second civil war, Licinius felt and dreaded
the power of this consecrated banner, the siglit of which in battle
animated the soldiers of Constantine with an invincible enthusiasm,
while it scattered terror and dismay through the adverse legions.
Eusebius introduces the lal)arum before the Italian expedition of
Constantine ; but his narrative seems to indicate it was never shown
at the head of an army till Constantine, ten years afterward, declared
himself the enemy of Licinius and the deliverer of the Church. The
Christian emperors who respected the example of Constantine dis-
played in all their military expeditions the standard of the cross ;
but when the degenerate successors of Theodosius ceased to appear
at the head of their armies, the labarum was deposited as a venerable
but useless relic in the palace of Constantinople.
The etymology of its name has given rise to many conflicting
opinions. Some derive it from lahar ; others from the Greek for
reverence ; others from the same, to take ; and others from the
Greek for sijoils. A waiter in the ' Classical Journal ' con-
siders the labarum like S. P. Q. E., a combination of initials
to represent an e([ual number of terms, and thus L. A. B.
A. R. V. M. will stand for Lcfjionum aquila Bymniiiun
ontAfjXiA Romci, urhe niutavit. The form of the labarum
and its monogram is preserved as the medal of the Flavian
family.
The band on the top of the Eoman standard was an
ancient symbol of Oriental or Phenician origin. It is found
as a symbol in India and in ancient INIexico. A closed
hand grasping the Koran surmounts the sacred standard of
Mahomet. The present flag-staff of the Persians terminates
in a silver hand.
Ccesar has recorded that when he attempted to land his
Pioman forces on the shores of Great Britain, meeting a
warmer reception than was anticipated, considerable hesitation arose
OF ANCIENT AND MODERN NATIONS. 61
among his troops ; but the standard-bearer of the Tenth Legion, with
the Eoman eagle in his hand, invoking the gods, plunged into the
waves, called on his comrades to follow him, and do their duty to their
general and to the republic ; and so the whole army made good their
landing.
The bronze or silver eagle of the Eoman standards must have
been of small size, not larger than the eagles on the color-poles of
modern colors, since a standard-bearer under Julius Caesar, in cir-
cumstances of danger, wrenched the eagle from its staff, and concealed
it in the folds of his girdle ; and the bronze horse preserved in the
collection at Goodrich Court is equally small, as will be seen by the
engraving on a previous page, which represents it as half the dimen-
sions of the original. Another figure, used as a standard by the
Eomans, was a ball or globe, emblematic of their dominion over the
world.
STANDAEDS OF THE TUEKS AND MOSLEMS.
TuEKiSH AND MOSLEM STANDARDS. — The basarac or sandschaki
sheriff, or cheriff, is a green standard, which was borne by Mahomet^
and, being believed by his devout followers to have been brought
down from heaven by the Angel Gabriel, is preserved with the great-
est veneration. It is enveloped in four coverings of green taffeta en-
closed in a case of green cloth. It is only on occasions of extreme
danger that this sacred symbol is brought from its place of deposit. It
was formerly kept in the imperial treasury at Constantinople, but, lat-
terly, deposited in the mosque of Ayyub, where the sultans at their
investiture are guarded with the sword of the caliphate. In the
event of rebellion or war, it is obligatory upon the Sultan to order
the mullahs to display the banner before the people and to pro-
claim the lihad, or holy war, exhorting them to be faithful to
their religion, and to defend the empire with their lives. The usual
address is as follows : " This is the prophet's banner ; this is the
standard of the caliphate. It is planted before you and unfurled
over your heads, 0 true believers, to announce to' you that your re-
ligion is threatened, your caliphate in peril, and your lives, your
women and children and property, in danger of becoming a prey to
cruel enemies ! Any Moslem, therefore, who refuses to take up arms
and follow this holy Bairok is an infidel amenable to death." Accord-
ing to another account, it is carefully preserved in the seraglio, in
a case built into the wall on tlie right-hand side as you enter the
62
TllK SYMBOLS, STANDAKDS. AN'1> IlANNKKS
chamber in which i-s the grand seignior's suniniur-l>ed. The standard
is twelve feet high, and the golden ornament, a closed hand, which
surmounts it, holds
aco]»y olthe Koran
written by the Ca-
liph Osnian III.
In times ol" peace
this banner is
guarded in tlie hall
of the Noble A'esti-
ment, as tlie dress
wliirh was worn by
the prophet is
styled. In tlie
same liall are pre-
served the sacred
teeth, the holy
beard, the sacred
stirrup, the sabre,
and the bow of
j\Iahomet.i Every
time this standard
is displayed, by a
custom which has
become law, all who
have attained the
age of seventeen
who profess the
]\Iahometan faith
are obhged to take
up arms, those wdio
refuse being re-
infidels
The Doseh.2
garde d as
1 An English author, ]\Ir. Tliornton, lias published, in his work on Turkey, copious
details relating to this standard, which the Turks, who hold it in the highest veneration,
believe to be the original Mahomet's standard from the temple of Mecca, — a delusion
carefully nursed by their modern rulers, though history describes many standards of
various colors which have served in its place, the original of which was white, then black,
and lastly of gi-een silk.
2 Suspecting the above cut was an exaggeration of tliis Turkish ceremony, I wrote the
the Eev. Cyrus Hamlin, D.D., President of tlie Bangor Theological Seminary, and long a
resident of Constantinople, who, under date Feb. 24, 1879, replied, "The engraving is an
OF ANCIENT AND MODERN NATIONS. 63
unworthy the title of Mussulmans, or True Believers. The unfurling
of this standard is supposed to insure success to the Ottoman arms ;
and despite the many tarnishes its honor has suffered, the Turks con-
tinue to rally around it with implicit belief in its sanctity. So jeal-
ously is it watched over, that none but emirs may touch it, emirs are
its guard, the chief of the emirs is alone privileged to carry it, and
Mussulmans are alone permitted to see this holy trophy, which,
touched by other hands, would be defiled, and if seen in other hands,
profaned. The ceremony of presenting the banner is called alay,
a Turkish word signifying triumph. The ceremonies consist of an
open-air masquerade. All the trades, professions, and occupations
of the inhabitants, seated in gaudy carriages, are represented and
paraded in front of the assembled army, each trade performing in
dumb show the manual operations of its art : the carpenter pretends
to saw, the ploughman to drive his oxen, and the smith to wield his
hammer. After these have passed, the sandschaki cheriff is brought
out with great veneration from the seraglio, and solemnly carried
along and j)resented to the army.^ The blessed banner, having thus
been presented to the adoring eyes of the true believers, is carried back
to its depository ; and the troops, inspired with confidence and victory,
set forth on their march to death and glory. The observance of this
ceremony in the war between Turkey and Russia in 1768 was the
occasion of frightful outrages upon the Christians. So long a period
had elapsed since its last presentation, that much of the sanctity
of the occasion had been forgotten, and the Christians, expressing a
wish to observe the ceremony, found the Turks ready and eager to
let windows and house-tops at high prices to the unbelievers, who
accordingly mustered strong on the line of the procession to gratify
their curiosity. A few minutes, however, before the starting of the
banner, an emir appeared in the streets, crying : " Let no infidel dare
to profane with his presence the holy standard of the prophet ; and
exaggerated representation of the Doseh ceremony. When the sacred standard is brouglit
out, a scene is witnessed which no doubt resembles that represented in the wood-cut. The
believers crcnvd all the narrow streets where it passes. They fall down before it, but not
in tliis extended, stretched-out manner. It is the regular worship prostration ; their
heads do not often come very near the horse's feet. Some of the excessively devout may
throw themselves before the horse, but the ti-ained, intelligent Arabian would no more tread
upon them than a mother would tread upon her child. But of such a scene of universal
worship and prostration, it is a very moderate stretch of the Greek fancy and fidelity to
represent the horse and his attendants as travelling upon a compact pavement of living
believers. Were there no greater exaggerations than this about Oriental affairs, one-half
of our supposed knowledge of the East would be disposed of."
^ Dictionary of Useful Knowledge.
64 THE SYMBOLS, STANDARDS, AND BANNERS
let every Mussulinau, if he i^ees un unbeliever, instantly make it
known, on pain of punishment." At this a sudden madness seized
upon the people, and those who had let their premises to the greatest
advantage became the most furious in tlieir bigoted zeal, rushing
among the amazed Christians, and with blows and furious violence
tearing them from their houses, and casting them into the streets
among the infuriated soldiery. No respect was paid to age, sex, or
condition. Women in the last stages of maternity were dragged about
by the hair, and treated with atrocious outrage. Every description
of insult, barbarity, and torture was inflicted upon the unollending
Christians, the usual gravity of the Turk having on the instant given
way to a fanaticism more in accordance with fiends than men. The
whole city, as one man, was seized with the same furor; and if a victim
managed to escape from one band of miscreants, he was certain to fall
into the hands of others equally savage and remorseless.^
According to another account, this sacred standard of IMaliomet
is not green, but black; and was instituted in contradistinction to
the great white banner of the Koraishites, as well as from the appella-
tion okah (black eagle), which the prophet bestowed upon it. j\Iaho-
met's earliest standard was the white cloth forming the turban which
lie captured from Boreide. He subsequently adopted for his distin-
suishins banner the sable curtain which hung before the chamber
of his wife Ayesha, and it is this standard which is said to be so
sacredly preserved and so jealously guarded from infidel sight. It
descended first to the folloAvers of Omar, at Damascus, thence to
the Abassides, at Bagdad and Cairo, from whom it fell to the share
of the bloodhound Selim I., and subsequently found its way into
Europe under Amurath III. The device upon it is "Nasrum ruin
Allah, — " The help of God."
Besides their sacred standard, the Turks have the sanjak, which is a
red banner; the r/Zcm, a broad standard ; and the ^?'<77t, consisting of
one, two, or more horse-tails, the number varying with the rank of the
person who bears it.
The title of ' pacha ' is merely a personal one, denoting the official
aristocracy, civil and military, of the Ottoman Empire, and is de-
rived from two Persian words, signifying " the foot of the king." In
former times, when the chief territorial divisions were called ' sanjaks,'
ruled over by beys, the larger sanjaks, or two or more smaller ones,
were put under a pacha, and called ' pachaliks.' The military governors
of provinces, who were only subordinate to the grand vizier, were
1 Baron Tolt's Memoirs of the Turks and Tartars. Two vols. 1785.
OF ANCIENT AND MODERN NATIONS. 65
styled ' beylerbeys,' or 'bey of beys.' European Turkey was divided
iuto two beylerbeyliks, — Eoumelia and Bosnia ; the latter included
Servia, Croatia, and Herzegovina. Constantinople and Wallachia and
Moldavia were not included in any of these jurisdictions. The archi-
pelago was under the capitan pacha. The pachas consisted of three
classes, and were distinguished by the number of horse-tails borne
before them as standards, — a custom brought from Tartary, said to
have originated with some chief, who, having lost his standard, cut
off his horse's tail and displayed it as- a substitute. The governors
of the larger districts were viziers, by virtue of office. Their insignia
were the alem, a broad standard, the pole of which was surmounted
by a crescent ; the tugh, of three horse-tails, artificially plaited ; one
sanjak, or green standard, similar to that of the prophet ; and two
large ensigns, called hairah. Other pachas had but two tails, with the
other insignia. A bey had only one, together with one standard.
The sultan's standard counts seven horse-tails, and the famous Ali
Pacha, of Janina, arrogated to himself no less than thirteen. At the
present day all this is much modified.
In the time of Omar, the General Mesiera Ibu Mesroud was given
a black flag, inscribed " There is no God hut God. Maliomet is the Mes-
senger of God." 1
At the battle of Yermouk, Abu Obeidah, a Moslem general, erected
for his standard a yellow flag given him by Abu Beker, Mahomet's
immediate successor, being the same which Mahomet had displayed
in the battle of Khaibab. One of Mahomet's standards was a black
eagle.2 When Monwyah rebelled against Ali, the bloody garment
of Othman was raised in the mosque at Damascus as the standard of
rebellion.
The crescent standard, which has been set against the cross in so
many battle-fields, representing the opposing force of Mahometan-
ism, had its origin in the simple circumstance that the ancient city of
Byzantium was saved from falling into the hands of Philip of Mace-
don, from the approach of his army being betrayed to the inhabitants
by the light of the moon. In consequence, they adopted the crescent,
which the Turks, when the place came into their possession, found
everywhere as an emblem, and retained, believing it to be of good
omen ; probably in its meaning they saw a promise of increasing
power.3 The origin of the crescent as a religious emblem is as old,
certainly, as Diana ; in fact, the very beginning of history.
1 Burkliardt's Notes on the Bedouins. 2 h-ving's Successors of Mahomet.
^ Api^leton's Journal.
GG THE SYMBOLS, STANDARDS, AND BANNERS
The staiulanl witli tlie star and crescent u])uu it was first hoisted
l>y Mahomet II., after the capture of Constantinople, a.d. 1453. Prior
to tliat event the sign was very common on the arms of English
knights and esquires, but fell into disuse when it liecame the device
of the Mahometans. The history of the device belongs to the Grecian,
if not the more extensive, sphere of the Aryan mythulogy.^
At the commencement of the recent Iiusso-Turkisli war, the sultan,
in his dire need of lielp, resolved to call for volunteers, and arouse the
loyal of Stamboul to arms, and that the aid of the Cliristian inhabit-
ants should be asked. Thus for the first time in Moslem history a
crimson banner, emblazoned with the cross and crescent, the symbols
of two antagonistic religions, was paraded through the streets of Con-
stantinople. It was heralded by weird playing upon pipes and the
monotonous note of a drum. There came
first, pressing through the throng, a youth,
whose quietest movements were those of
a maniac. In his hands gleamed two
long scimitars, on his head was the green
turban which denoted his descent from
the prophet ; and as the noise of the mu-
sicians rose, he kept time and rliythm
with head, hands, and feet ; now turning
round, and now jumping ; now writhing
The Cross and Crescent united, 1876. ^g though in direful agouy ; and then,
with a glance toward heaven, as though delivering an earnest peti-
tion, bending his head to the dust, and prostrating himself on the
oTound. Behind him were the reeds and the drum; in the rear
marched a standard-bearer, and in his hands was borne aloft the flag
which bore the emblems of the crescent and the cross. At sight of
the lad the bystanders turned pale with excitement, and every minute
some one, enchanted by the rough melody and the dancer, fell silently
into the procession w^hich followed the banner. A strange cortege,
truly : Softas, Armenians, Old and New Turks, Greeks, and Eoman
Catholics, some with fez and others in turban, some with straw hats and
others with bare heads, — all following the lead of the frantic youth.
And when the air grew livelier, or his gyrations more rapid, when he
raised his own voice and gave a loud cry of anguish, knives, pistols,
sticks, swords, were lifted high in the air or flourished round by those
more moved than the rest. When was such a spectacle ever beheld
before in the city of the sultan, under the very shadow of the great
1 Notes and Queries, 4tli series, vol. viii., 1870, p. 405.
OF ANCIENT AND MODERN NATIONS. 67
mosque of St Sophia ? The device was successful, and band after
band was forwarded to the seat of war.^
The great standard won by the Eling of Poland from the infidels
in 1683, at Kalemberg, was about eight feet in breadth, rounded at
the fly, and of a green and crimson stuff, of silk and gold tissue
mixed, bearing a device in arabesque characters signifying, " There is
no God but God, and Mahomet is his Prophet." The ball on the top
of the staff, about the size of a man's joined fists, was of brass gilt.
This standard was presented by the King of Poland to the Pope, who
caused it to be suspended from the roof of St. Peter's, by the side of
another standard taken from the infidels at the battle of Ohotzen.
Irving, in his ' Life of Mahomet,' says that the general always carried
the standard into battle.
The pirates of Algiers and of the coast of Barbary are the only
people who ever bore an hexagonal flag or standard. Theirs was a
red flag with a Moorish head coifed with its turban, &c., designed as
the portrait of Hali, the son-in-law of Mahomet, who ordered his
effigy expressed on the standards of his followers, believing that the
bare sight of his image would carry undoubted victory over the Chris-
tians. This device was remarkable, as the Koran forbids the making
of any image or representation of any man; for they who make it will
be obliged at the day of judgment to find soids for them, or be them-
selves damned. This superstition has been so modified, that Muley
Abbas, the brother of the Emperor of Morocco, in 1863, sat for his
photograph ; and the sultan has allowed his portrait to be painted, at
the request of the foreign ambassadors to his court.
The fashion of pointed or triangular flags came from the Mahom-
etan Arabs or Saracens, upon their seizure of Spain, a.d. 712, before
which time all the ensigns of war were square, and extended on
cross-pieces of wood or yards like church banners, on which account
they were called vexilla.
SLAVONIC STANDARDS AND ENSIGNS. — DPtAGON
STAND AEDS.
The Banners and National Colors of Poland, &c. — In our
research concerning religious and militaiy ensigns, standards, and flags,
one family, the Slavonic, mighty in renowm, has disappointed our ex-
ertions. Greek writers knew them by no name that can be brought
home, and the Piomans felt them more than they have described them.
1 Cor. London Telegraph, July 18, 1876.
G8 I'lii: sv.Mr.oi.s, stam)Ai:i>s. and haxxeks
It is a question whether tlicy wvw in lull or at all iiuludLMl in the
denomination of ' Scythians.' The military achievements of the Ja-
zyges, Dacians, Sarmatians, and other of the Slavonic race of later
date, we find on liomau bass-reliefs of Roman triumphs over these bar-
barians. The civilized and sedentary nations have always shown the
most anxiety to commemorate victories over enemies they could not
subdue. The victories of Thosmes II. and III., and of Sesostris, over
nations probably of Slavonic stock, painted on the walls of Thebes,
are of this description. The columns of Trajan and Antonine .show
the Slavonic cavahy, and representations of the ensigns which those
riding and migratory nations adopted for carrying on horseback, before
the stirrup was invented. In China, Japan, and Tartary, west of
Germany, dragon-shaped symbols, resolvable into some sort of flag,
were adopted as military ensigns from the earliest age. In ancient
times, the Southern and Western nations had effigy standards of
statues or sculptured objects without cloth beneath them, or, at most,
a knotted shawl or cloth. These dragon standards consisted of a
metal or wooden head, representing the figure of a dragon, with the
mouth open, and were perforated at the neck, to which a long bag,
in the shape of a serpent, was fastened ; the lower jaw was bored
through, for the purpose of receiving the point of a spindle, whereon
it turned according to the wind, which, blowing in at the ojien mouth,
dilated the pendulous bag, giving it the appearance of a twisting snake.
There were instances when tow and burning materials were placed in
the mouth, to give the dragon an appearance of breathing fire. Indi-
cations of this practice occur in early Chinese works, and in the
Tartar armies that invaded Europe. In the Teutonic armies, a dragon
standard belonged to about every thousand men. In a letter, the
Emperor Marcus Aurelius states his camp is iiwested by a German
force of seventy-four dragons, forming an army of seventy-nine thou-
sand men. When this form of ensign, adopted over so vast a terri-
tory, was so long in use, and so multiplied, it is evident, in order that
friend and foe might discriminate each from other, that differences of
form, color, and ornament must have been resorted to. Black, golden,
and silver dragons were common in the far East. White, red, and
green "\yere more general colors among the Celtaj ; and the Ifist was
held in high respect by the Scandinavians. Slavonic nations caused
their dragons to appear in that color, or introduced it in stripes, bands,
or additional ribbons. All these modifications can be traced on the
dragon ensigns of the Sarmatians and Daci of the Trajan column at
Rome.
OF ANCIENT AND MODERN NATIONS. 69
As the Slavonic nations numbered many pagan tribes among them,
to the middle of the thirteenth century, the solar worship typified by
Thor, or the Bull God, originated effigies of the bull, his head, skull,
or horns, as national ensigns ; others adopted the skull or figure of the
horse. The Moxian's national ensign was a horse-skin. The skull of
a horse, with the tail hung behind it, was borne in the religious pro-
cessions of the Eugii, and was known in Sweden as an attribute of
Odin. There was a tribe of Bielsk which had for a standard a white
bear-skin ; another carried a pair of urus' horns ; the Ostii, the head
of a wild boar. The Jazyges carried horse-tails. All these ensigns
preceded Christianity in Poland. When Ringold, 12.37, assembled
the Poles, Lithuanians, and Samogitians to oppose the Tahtan Bati,
each tribe received an ensign, made for the occasion, of red or black
cloth, secured like a vexiUum. In Poland, a black flag was the par-
ticular distinction of the court, the palace, and the royal person : it
may be that this color was connected with the assertion of Andre
Barden, that several Sarmatian tribes " iwrtaient dans leurs bannieres
Vimage de la mort." The Cossacks, when they shook off the religious
oppression which King A^ladislaus A^II. wanted to fix upon them, had on
their ensigns no emblazonment, but only invocations and imprecations.
When serfship was introduced, about the tenth or eleventh century,
all tribal symljols disappeared, or were appropriated by the nobles,
who then began to imitate the feudal inventions of Western Europe.
Stephen the Saint, King of the Magyars, received a white patri-
archal cross from the Pope, which was carried on the top of a pole as
a standard, and had a guard instituted to surround it. From that time,
eaoies' or herons' wings, the ancient ensigns of the Huns or of the
Onoguro, were left to adorn the lances of private warriors. Attila is
said to have carried a hawk for his standard.
In Constantinople there was a monkish order ^ which wore a green
habit and a scarlet mantle, with a patriarchal yellow or blue cross
on the breast. This order spread westward, and constituted the
guard of St. Stephen's cross in Hungary. When Hedwega united
Lithuania with Poland by her marriage with the Duke Jagillon in
the fourteenth century, his national standard, a mounted warrior, in
token of his conversion to Christianity, received in addition this cross
on the shield of the horseman. It remained, however, a distinct ban-
ner in the Polish armies, — a double white cross bordered with gold,
borne in a blue field. There is a legend that this cross was placed
on the shield to commemorate a victory over the Teutonic knights.
1 Tlie Fratres Constantiuopolitaiii.
70 THE SYMliOLS, STANDARDS, AND I'.ANXEKS
A white eagle on a red ground was the cognizance of the kingdom
of Pohmd in tlie eleventh century, and is coeval with the numerous
eagles of the German Empire, originally all single-headed. Li[)sius
has a cut of one having two heads with wings displayed, as in modern
heraldry, which he copied from the Theodosian column.
The Tolish silver eagle on a red ground is of the same age as tlie
golden eagle on a red field, the imperial ensign of the house of Saxony,
and long impaled with the gold and sable bars traversed with a bend
of green rue. Silesia, Moravia, and Prussia assumed eagles differenced
in their structures or by particular marks on their breast. "We liave
no knowledge when the two-headed eagle was assumed by Kussia,
but the mounted horseman of the Muscovites may be the original
type of the Lithuanian ensign. In Western Europe at the time of
the first crusade, and among the Moslems at the same date, standards
and ensigns were generally without charge or symbolic figures, unless
it were the cross, which, whenever it occurs, was always an imitation
of the cross mark, standing for the sign-manual of the person whose
ensign it was. Thus, in England, the crosses on rough Saxon coins,
commonly called 'sciatta,' are the mark of the sign-manual of the sov-
ereign wdio caused them to be struck, and also the cross which he
placed upon his banner ; for in several it is represented in a flag upon
the coins themselves.^
The black ensign of Poland, derived or imitated from the Tahtar
standards, was older than the white eagle, or white cross on a blue
field of the Gonesa, as the latter banner was called. It may have been
plain, or marked with a skeleton Vimage dc la mort, and later with
the cross or sign-manual of the reigning prince, until, diminishing in
consideration, the St. Stephen's patriarchal cross became the religious
ensign. The arrow, consecrated by the blood of the martyr St. Sebas-
tian, which formed part of the royal sceptre of Poland, may have had
its symbolical figures on a banner. The name of Gonesa, given to the
banner which imited the devices of Lithuania and Poland, we find
nowhere explained.
When the white eagle and horseman became national, other sym-
bols were appropriated by the provinces. A list of the ensigns of
the western Slavonic nations in the British Museum shows that the
armorial ensigns of the provinces was borne on the breast of the white
eagle, recognizing the allegiance of the provinces to the national
standard.^
In a curious plan of the battle of Praga, near Warsaw, a.d. 1656,
1 United Service Magazine, October, 1844.
OF A^'CIEXT AND MODERN NATIONS. 71
there is in the foreground a representation by a Swedish artist of the
PoHsh standards surrendered to Charles X., of S^'eden, nearly all of
which bear the symbols and distinctions of the great nobles.^
A custom among the Poles of bearing military signs attached
to the backs of warriors deserves attention, because it is of Mon-
golic origin, and can be traced even to Mexico.^ The western Sla-
vonians appear to have copied the custom from the Tahtars, who
often bore a slight staff with a flag or bundle of feathers secured by
straps in a scabbard between the shoulders. There exist copperplate
etchings of these horsemen. In Poland, as late as the reign of John
Sobieski, outspread wings of swans and eagles appear to have been
secured to the backs of knights. A body of warriors thus equipped
figured in a magnificent charge, when that hero relieved Vienna, and
a similar device was attached to each side of the back of the saddles
of the nobles at the surrender of Praga. This was in part of metal,
and produced in galloping a crashing noise, designed to increase the
terror of horses opposed to them, who encountered at the same mo-
ment the bewildering flutter of the small flags on the lances, which
are still retained by modern uhlans, hussars, lancers, &c. In the mag-
nificent Hall of Armor in Vienna is preserved the famous horse-tail
standard of John Sobieski, who rolled back the tide of Moslem in-
vasion
A fac-simile of the standard of ancient Poland, under which Sobieski
defeated the Turks in 1673, was made in Philadelphia for the PoHsh
association in 1863, and in 1876 was deposited in the National Museum
at Independence Hall, Philadelphia.^
CHINESE, JAPANESE, JAVANESE, AND EAST INDIAN
STAND AEDS.
Chinese Symbols and Standards. — At the departure of the chil-
dren of Israel from Egypt, China was seven hundred years old, and
when Isaiah prophesied of her, she had existed fifteen centuries. She
has seen the rise and decline of Assyria, Babylon, Persia, Greece, and
Ptome, but remains a solitary and wonderful monument of patriarchal
time, with a population which, roughly estimated, establishes the fact
that every third person who lives upon this earth, or is buried in it, is
a Chinese.
1 United Service Journal, October, 1844.
2 See Prescott's Conquest of Slexico, and Jilexicau Standards in this volume.
3 American newspaper.
72 THE SYMl'.dLS. STANDAKDS, AM) I'.A.NXEKS
According to Chinese cosmogony, Poankon, at the formation ol" thi;
world, was th*e first man born from Chinese soil or clay. In his age
the earth was inhaliited by luige animals of greater size than the wliale.
Among these bulky monsters was a dragon, sovereign of tlie air l)y
its wings, and, as a serpent, monarch of the earth by its swiftness. It
preyed upon human flesh, M'as worshipped as a malevolent spirit, and
human victims were immolated to appease its voracity.
Tien Hoang, a prince and legislator of China, abolished human sac-
rifices, together with the adoration of the dragon ; but its idol was
preserved in the temples, and exhibited on the
standard of the Chinese princes. In the following
age, Tien Hoang was reported to have destroyed
the dragon, and was depicted as killing the mon-
ster/ just as St. George has been painted in modern
times.
Tieu^S^ithe The type of the dragon is probably the sea-
i^ragon. serpent or boa-constrictor, though the researches
of geology have brought to light sucli a counterpart of ' the lunrj ' of
the Chinese in the iguanodon as to make it probable it may have been
its prototype.
According to the Chinese, there are three dragons ; viz., the honr/ in
the sky, the li in the sea, and Oian in the marshes. But the first
is the only authentic one, and has the head of a camel, the horns
of the deer, eyes of a rabbit, ears of a cow, neck of a snake, belly of
a frog, scales of a carp, claws of a hawk, and the palms of a tiger.
On each side of the mouth are whiskers, and its head contains a bright
pearl, its breath is sometimes changed into water and sometimes into
fire, and its voice is like the jingling of copper pans.^
The dragon is allowed to be Avorn by Chinese noblemen or man-
darins and vassals of the empire in various colors and postures, to
distinguish families, accompanied by emblematical flowers, silk knots,
and peacock's feathers ; but it is forbidden, under penalty of death,
to have more than/otw claws to each foot, in order to distinguish the
imperial dragon, which has Jive claws.^
The word 'dragon,' in Greek, signifies a looker-on, or a watcher who
guards an entrance. Most of the Oriental cities of old bore on their
fortified gates the effigy of a dragon.
The exalted conception the Chinese entertain of the dragon has
caused the name to symbolize the dignity and supremacy of the Chi-
nese emperor. ■ He is spoken of as seated on the dragon throne ; to see
1 "Williams's Middle Kingdom. - Brunet's Regal Arm one.
OF ANCIENT AND MODERN NATIONS. 73
him is to see the dragons face ; his standard is the dragon ; and the
coat of arms embroidered on the breasts and back of his followers is
a dragon. This monster is not regarded by the Chinese as a fabulous
animal, but as a real existence, or rather as a power of nature pervad-
ing the air and ocean and earth, seen, perhaps, in water-spouts and
clouds and bursting fountains.^
Imperial Standard of Chixa. — The standard of the Envperor of
China is of yellow satin with a red border, on which is worked a gold
embroidered dragon. The fly is four feet in length by fourteen inches
in breadth, and its edges are serrated or fringed. The Chinese char-
acters on it simply signify ' emperor.' The standard pole is about
eight feet in length.
The standard of the empress is of the same size, shape, device, and
material as that of the emperor, but it is all yellow, having no colored
border. The inscription on this flag signifies ' empress.'
The standard of the empress-dowager is the same as the pre-
ceding, but made of white satin on which is worked a golden
dragon.
The national flag, announced as such in 1872 to all foreign min-
isters, superintendents of trade, and foreign officials, is triangular in
shape, and of deep yellow bunting, with a blue dragon with a green
head snapping at a red pearl or ball in its centre. It is worn by
Chinese war vessels and custom-house cruisers. Another Chinese
flag is square, and red, blazoned with two blue fishes, for which of
late a white ball has been substituted.
Whenever the governor-general starts on a warlike expedition, he
must worship his flag. Whenever he sends any high military officer
to fight the enemy, and whenever any high military officer is about
to proceed to battle, the flag of his division or brigade must be
worshipped. The worship is often performed on the public parade-
ground in the suburbs, near the south gate of the city. The viceroy,
or governor-general, sometimes chooses to sacrifice to the flag on his
own parade-ground connected with his gamuns. The time usually
selected is daylight, or a little later. However, the day, hour, and
minute are fixed by a fortune-teller. Oftentimes high officials,
civil and military, connected with the government, are present. It
1 Letter, S. Wells Williams, LL.D., Dec. 3, 1879. For further account of the dragon,
see Chinese Repository, vol. vii. In Chinese books the ancient Chinese flags are often
figured. 'Memoires eoncemant les Chinois,' printed last century in Paris, has a plate of
three or four styles of military flags.
74 Tin: SYMIJOIA STANDARDS, AND 15ANNERS
is necessary tlial all the olTicers uIk) aie to accompany the expe-
dition should witness the ceremony and take i)art in it. The same
is true of the soldiers "who are to be sent away, or are to enj,'age
in the fight. In the centre of the arena is placed a table having
upon it two candles, one censer, and several cu]).s of wine. The
candles are lighted. An oflicer, kneeling, holds the large Hag by
its stair near the table. The otticer who is to command the expedi-
tion, standing before the table and the flag, receives three sticks of
lighted incense from the master of the ceremony, which he rever-
ently places in the censer arranged between the candles. He then
kneels on the ground, and bows his head three times. Some wine
taken from the table is handed him while on his knees, which he
pours on the ground. Then a cup of Avine is dashed upon the flag,
and the profesSor cries out, " Unfurl the flag, victory is obtained ; the
cavalry advancing, soon it is perfected." Tlie whole company of
officers and soldiers who had knelt and bowed their heads now rise
up M'ith a shout, and commence their march for the scene of action
or appointed rendezvous.^
In 1854, the writer, while in command of the United States chartered
steamer Queen, a little vessel of 137 tons, mounting four iron 4-pouud-
ers and a 12-pounder brass boat-howitzer, the latter loaned from the
United States ship INIacedonian, participated in an expedition — Eng-
lish, American, and Portuguese (guided by a Chinese admiral's junk) —
against the piratical strongholds at Tyho and Kulau, which resulted
in the complete destruction of the piratical fleet and batteries. As
one of the fruits of this expedition, he forwarded to the Xavy Depart-
ment at Washington twelve flags taken by his force from the pirate's
junks and batteries. These are believed to be the first flags ever
captured from the Chinese by our arms. One of these trophies, a
large white cotton flag, was inscribed in bold Chinese characters,
" The fla(j of Lue-niing-suy-ming of the Hong-shing-toiuj company,
chief of the sea squadron" and " that he takes from the rich and not
from the 'poor, and that his flag can fly anyichere." • The inscriptions
on another large triangular flag were written with blood, and, trans-
lated, read, viz. : Ko. 1. " The land of Triads!' Xo. 2. " May the Man-
choos he overthrovm and the Mings restored." Xo. 3. " Shou" the
name of one of the five originators of the Triad society. No. 4. " Let
the seas he like oil si'je2}t of our foes," or, " We the J'riads spring up in
every cquarter." No. 5. On the fly, or extreme end of the flag, is a
character which signifies " Victory." From these inscriptions it would
1 Doolittlc's Social Life of the Chinese.
OF ANCIENT AND MODERN NATIONS. 75
seem that this pirate was a rebel from the Mandarin or Manchoo
authority, and a Triad.^
Eear-Admiral John Eodgers, in 1871, forwarded to the Xavy De-
partment at Washington twenty-one standards and pennants, together
with four staffs from which the colors have been torn, — all of which
were captured by the Xaval Expedition to the Corea. The Secretary
of the Navy forwarded them to the Xaval Academy at Annapolis, to
be deposited there with other trophies.
These banners present every variety of color and design, but still
indicate some method and arrangement. The flag of the commanding
general and those of the principal officers are of flowered silk, and
those of the subordinate officers of cotton, the latter closely woven.
The staffs are alike, from six to eight feet long, and shod at the
foot with iron, that they may be driven into the ground. The head
of each staff is ornamented with carved wood, painted in brilliant
colors, and capped by a rim of brass. The middle of each staff is
painted with a series of white and black rings, which, according to
their number, seem to indicate some rank or station. The staves of
the flags representing superior officers are surmounted by a bunch of
pheasant's feathers, those of a lesser rank l^y a flat piece of iron fanci-
fully cut, and others have no mounting. The flags generally are a
square of one color, surrounded by a border of another color. A few
smaller, and which appear to be inferior, flags have two equal stripes
of different colors. The interior squares of the superior flags bear
representations of flying dragons, flying serpents, turtles, &c., printed
in brilliant colors, and well drawn. The flag of the Corean com-
manding general is of fine yellow silk, with a figure representing a
tiger rampant, and is surrounded by a border of green silk. Flag
Xo. 2 is of plain blae silk bound with black, with a representation
of a flying turtle. It is badly torn by shell and bullets. No. 3 is
of yellow silk trimmed with brown ; to its centre are sewed two card-
boards with hieroglyphics covered with silk. ISTo. 4 is similar to
No. 3, but of plain light blue silk. Xo. 5 is of yellow silk, bound
with pale red silk, and bears the representation of a flying serpent.
This flag is much torn by bullets. The remaining flags are of cotton
dyed in various colors. One has a Corean inscription, signifying it is
" The flag of the squad captain of the rear battalion of the regiment."
Another has a representation of an officer on horseback ; another, of
a flying serpent ; another has a turtle ; several are blood-stained.
Accompanying the flags are four pennants of silk and cotton of vari-
1 These inscriptions were interpreted by S. "Wells Williams.
76 THE SVMr.oLS. sTANDAUDS, and r.AXNEKS
ous colors, inink'd witli curious devices. Specimens ol" C'orean spears,
witli little Hags attached, resembling guydons, were also received at
the Xavy I)e])artnient.
At the United States Legati(jn at I't-kin there is a lianner obtained
at Fort ^IcKee, an oljloug cotton Hag, blazoned with a ■winged tiger
in red, having flames around it. "Winged animals or men are almost
unknown in China and Japan, and l>r. S. Wells Williams informs mc
he could learn nothing about the meaning of this flag. On the 11 th
of September, 1878, a red-dragon flag was hoisted for the first time
at the Chinese consulate at Nagasaki, Japan, and the day was one of
festivity and rejoicing among the Chinese.
The Chinese had no national flag until their intercourse with
foreign nations, since the treaties of 1858 and the residence of foreign
ministers at Pekin, showed the government the necessity of adopt-
ing an ensign for their ships of war and merchantmen whicli would
be recognized by other nations on the high seas, and serve to distin-
guish honest traders along the coast from piratical craft. It was
made known to foreign ministers in a despatch of Oct. 22, 18G2,
and has gradually come to be used by all Chinese vessels and junks,
if their owners or masters care to go to the expense, but is mostly
hoisted on the foreign rigged and owned vessels. The government
vessels in China have also had their flags to distinguish them. But
a new regulation has been made, requiring a dragon flag triangular
in shape, ten feet broad at its base for largest, and seven or eight feet
for smaller vessels ; length according to taste ; the field yellow, with
a dragon painted on it with head erect. Previous to its date, the
imperial flag with a dragon was confined, under certain circumstances,
to the land forces and to the guard of the emperor. The war junks
usually hoisted yellow flags containing the full titles of the oflicer in
command, and the junks bore distinctive banners, to mark their place
or rank in the squadron. Every commander along the coast, from
Ninchwang to Hainan, had a different flag, and none had blazonry of
any kind. The ground was not always yellow, certain ranks having
a white ground ; the scalloped border, if used, was also of different
colors.
The present army of China is divided into bannermen, which
have eight corps, recognized by different flags, and the green-banner
army, which constitutes the largest part of the paid forces. The flags
of the bannermen are triangular, — plain yellow, white, red, or blue
for the left wing, and the same Mdth a colored border for the right
wing. The uniform of the soldier shows by its color and facings the
OF ANCIENT AND xMODERN NATIONS. 77
banner which each man belongs to. The banners of both the army
and navy have the official titles of the general or commander painted
on them.
In the provinces, the Governor-general (Tsung-tuh) has command
of all the green-banner (Luh-ying) army in his jurisdiction, and their
disposal is in his hands. The Mantchoo force belonging to the eight
banners is under the orders of an especial commandant, responsible
directly to Pekin. A triangular plain green flag indicates the general
army; the facings of the uniforms generally indicate the corps. It
is probable that the use of the national flag, adopted in 1862, will
gradually extend to the army raised in the provinces. The usage of
restricting the disposition of regiments and divisions to the province
in which they have been raised has tended to neutralize national
pride among the soldiers.
In ancient times, the form, blazonry, and material of flags used by
the sovereign, feudal princes, generals, and officials of every grade,
was directed by special regulations, and continues to influence their
use.
The " dragon flag " is usually regarded by the Chinese as indicating
the person, the envoy, the property, or the special cognizance of the
monarch, distinguished from the ordinary department or officers of his
government ; the latter are known more by the yeUow color of the
flag than the dragon.^
Private trading-junks adopt any flag they please, always except-
ing the prohibited ones, and consequently often adorn the masts with
many and variously shaped pennons, signals, and flags, including some
more religious than commercial, intended to secure the protection of
the gods on the voyage. The difficulty of recognizing honest from
piratical vessels along the coast has ofttimes led to the destruction of
the former by foreign vessels of war ; for, as they usually go armed,
and their officers and men could speak no English or other foreign
language and ascertain the truth of matters, they were led to return
the fire of their assailants. In the despatch announcing the adoption
of the present flag. Prince Kung extends its use to foreign-built as
well as to all native-built vessels.^
The members of the imperial family are allowed to use the dragon
embroidered on their robes, and to carry flags or pennons on their car-
riages, tents, or elsewhere. The empress distinguishes hers by a plain
yellow flag, and the empress- dowager by a white flag, indicating her
1 Chinese Repository, Yol. vii. p. 25-3.
2 See American Diplomatic Correspondence for 186.3, part iii. pp. 848-863.
78
Tin: SYMBOLS, STANDARDS, AND BxVNNIiRS
widowhood. The emperor's is u yL'lluw tla.^' witli a tVingcd rod lj(jr-
der, and is similar to the yellow liauuer of the Mautchoos. All these
arc L'liildazoiied witli the draiiou.^
Old liiiiPiiial SUiiiJard and
Arms of Japan.
Jap.vnese Standards. — Tlie old imperial standard of the Japanese,
in their opinion, was something suljlime and sacred, and only M'lien
assured that it would be treated with respect would they allow a
drawing to be made of it.
Its threefold device symbolized several things. The triple lobes
represent Sin-to-ism, the religion of the Kamis, Luddhism, and Cun-
fucism. They also symbolized the three annual
and three monthly festivals : 1st, The great New
Year, which lasts a month; 2d, the feast of
spring, held the third day of the third month,
or that of the flowers and young maidens ; and,
3d, the feast of neighbors, in the "won't go
home until morning " style. The three monthly
Japanese festivals are: 1st, The day of the new
moon; 2d, the day of the full moon; 3d, the
eve of the new moon. The colors of this standard were white and
purple.
Eecently, the Emperor, or Tenio, has adopted the chrysantliemum
for his emblem, having for supporters a dragon and phenix, typify-
ing power and the reign of virtue, dis-
played on a round shield. The chrys-
anthemum, with sixteen petals, is used
for outside imperial government busi-
ness.
Another imperial device, the per-
sonal crest of the mikado, is the Idri
{Paulovmia im2)erialis), used for pal-
ace matters personal to the emperor.
It is remarkable that in Japan a
serpent is considered the vilest of
Imperial Ai-ms of Japan, isso. auimals, but a dragou is thought to be
of high birth and of great importance, the symbol of power and the
badge of royalty.
The phenix is an omen of prosperity and felicity, and is thought to
have appeared at different times to signalize the coming of virtuous
rulers, and reascending to heaven after the performance of wonderful
1 Communicated by S. "Wells "Williams, LL.D.
OF ANCIENT AND MODERN NATIONS. 79
works. A representation of this bird was formerly carried before the
mikado whenever he made a journey.
All the nobles of Japan have a device or coat of arms, which
is blazoned on their banners and on their tents, and worn on their
shoulders and on the backs of their dresses. The naval flag recently
adopted by the Japanese bears on the centre of a white field a red
ball or globe, supposed to represent the sun.
The imperial standard has a golden sun in the centre of a crim-
son field, with a network of golden diamonds woven over it. The a.d-
miraVs flag is the same as the naval flag, with a red, blue, or yellow
border, in the order of. their rank.
The Japanese bark, ' Tu-Ju-Mara,' of six hundred tons, commanded
by Captain Samuel A. Lord, formerly of Salem, Mass., and manned ex-
clusively by Japanese sailors, arrived at San Francisco, Cal., Aug. 23,
1872, and for the first time in history displayed the Japanese flag at
the masthead of a merchantman in American waters.
JaVxVNESE Standards. — Though the natives of Java have followed
the customs of Europeans in the use of standards, yet their prince's
rallying-sign continues to be the jpayong, or par-a-sol, which is a pe-
culiar object of respect and veneration among the Javanese bands. The
tombak pussaha, or lances hallowed by age, which they have inherited
from their ancient sovereigns, serve for the same purpose as the
payongs, and are distinguished by the horse-tails which dangle from
them.^
East Indian Standards and ^ Ensigns. — The great banner of
Mewar (whose prince was the legitimate heir of the throne of Rama),
first of the thirty-six royal tribes, is blazoned with a golden sun on a
crimson field ; those of the chiefs bear a dagger. Amber displays the
hanchangra, a five-colored flag. The lion rampant on an argent field
is extinct with the States of Chanderi.^ The use of armorial bear-
ings among the Eajpoot tribes has been traced anterior to the war of
Troy. In the Mahabharet, or great war, B.C. 1200, the hero Bheesama
exults over his trophy, the banner of Arjoona, its field adorned with the
figure of the Indian Hanuman (monkey deity). The peacock was the
favorite emblem of the Rajpoot warriors ; the bird is sacred to their
Mars (Kamara), as it was to Juno, his mother, in the "West. The em-
blem of Vishnu is the eagle. Chrisna was the founder of the thirty-
six tril)es who obtained the universal sovereignty of India, and lived
1 Colonel Pfifter's Sketches of Java. 2 Colonel Tod's Annals of Rajahstan.
80 'riiL .SVM15ULS. >i\\i».\i;i>-. a\i> r,.\.\\i;i:s
B.C. l-Oll. These thirty-.six Lnbcs had their ru.spei.li\c uiuIjIl'Ui.s, as
the .serpent, tlie hor.se, hare, «S:c. One of these tribes, tlie .Saceseui,
supposed to be the ancestors of the Saxon race, settled themselves on
the Amxes, in Armenia, ;ulj(»inin{,f Albania. Those migrating tribes
of cour.-^e carried with them their respective emblem.s, and hence the
identity of European and Asiatic devices. The blue eagle belongs to
the ensign of Vishnu, the red Ijull to that of Siva, and the falcon to
that of Ifama. The ensign of Brahma bore a white lion. The sun
rising behind a rccumljent liun blaze<i on the ancient ensigns of the
Tartars, and the eagle of the sun on tliat of the Persians. The humza,
or famous goose, one of the incarnaticjus of lUiddlia, is yet the chief
emblem of the Burman banners.
The ensigns of the Bijala, reigning at Kalyan, were the lion, the
bull, and tlie goose. The Tadu and the Silahara adopted a golden
' garuda' or eagle on their ensigns. The liattas tribe had the golden
hawk and crocodQe. A hymn to Camdeva, the god of love, has this
line : —
" Hail, warrior, with a fis^li on tliy banner."
Sir William Jones says Camdeo, the Hindoo god, is represented
attended by <lancing girls or nymphs, the foremost of whom bears his
colors, which are a fish on a red ground.^
The standards of the Indian princes, displayed over their chau-s
w^hen Victoria was proclaimed Empress of India, at Delhi, were of
satin, and represented their ancestral arms ; viz., Odeyporis, a golden
sun on a red disk ; the Guicowar's, a blue elephant ; the Nizam's, a
full moon on a green standard ; and the historic fish of the Begum of
Bhopal.2
FLAGS AXD STAXDAEDS OF THE A:\IEPJCAN EEPUBLICS
AXD PACIFIC ISLAXDS.
Mexico, San Salvador, Sandwich Islands, Society Islands, New
Ze.^land, Peru.
Mexican Standards. — The ancient standard of Mexico, or rather
of the Aztecs, which has been compared to the Ptoman standard, was
an eagle pouncing on an ocelot, emblazoned on a rich mantle of
feather- work ; that of the Tlascalans, a white heron, the cognizance
of the house of Xicontencatl. All the great chiefs of Mexico, in
the time of Cortez, had their devices and banners. The standards
1 Journal Royal Asiatic Society. ^ Newsijaper report.
OF ANCIENT AND MODERN NATIONS. 81
of the Aztecs were carried in the centre of the army. A golden net
on a short staff, attached to the back between the shoulders, so
that it was impossible to be torn away, ' was the usual symbol
of authority for an Aztec commander.^ The standards of the Tlas-
calans were carried in the rear. The Eio de Vanderas (river of
banners) was so named by Alvarado from the numerous ensigns
displayed by the natives on its borders. Prescott says, "The Tlas-
calans, allies of Cortez, led by Xicontencatl, fifty thousand strong,
marched proudly under their great national banner, emblazoned with
a spread eagle, the arms of the republic." According to Clavigero,
it was a golden eagle ; but as Bernal Diaz speaks of it as white, it
may have been a white heron which belonged to the house of the
youthful leader. Elsewhere, Prescott speaks of the great stand-
ard of the Eepublic of Tlascala as a golden eagle with outspread
wings, in the fashion of a Eoman signum, richly ornamented with
emeralds and silver work. Ellis, in his ' Antiquities of Heraldry,'
says the natural emblem of the Mexicans was a swan. The Spanish
historian Sagahan relates that, about two centuries before their conquest
by the Spaniards, the Aztecs were compelled to surrender their emble-
matical bird, the swan, to a neighboring kingdom that oppressed them.
In the Mexican Tribute Tables {Talegas), small pouches or bags of
tasteful form, and ornamented with fringe and tassels, frequently
occur, having a cross of a Maltese or Latin form woven or painted on
each. It is a surprising circumstance that they were thus ornamented
before the arrival of the Spaniards, when the religion of Christ and
significance of the cross were unknown to them.^
The Mexicans counted by units, twenties, four hundred, and eight
thousand; and these were sufficient to express any number; their
hieroglyphics are in accordance with this numeration. The unit was
represented by a small circle ; twenty, by a standard, shaped as a par-
allelogram ; four hundred, by a feather ; eight thousand, by a purse
supposed to contain as many grains of cocoa; one to nineteen was
represented by a number of small circles. The hieroglyphic of
twenty was four squares, which, as they were colored, represented
either five, ten, or fifteen. This mode of counting had a practical
influence. Bernal Diaz, when speaking of the Indian armies, counts
them as so many rj:iquipilli.s^ or bodies of eight thousand men. It is
not improbable they were divided into battalions of four hundred
1 Prescott's Conquest of Mexico.
2 Don T. A. Lorenzard's History of oSTew Spain, Mexico, 1770 ; also, Historical
Magazine, 1867.
6
82
THE SYMIWiLS. STANDAKDS, AND J5ANNEK8
men each ; tliese ni,'aiii sululividod into scjuads of twenty men; and
thai the hieroglyphic lor twenty originally represented the lianner or
standard of each of such siiuad.s.'
Our Xnrth American Indians were fnund by the early vnyagers
and discoverers to carry for their standard a pole full-Hedged with the
wing-feathers of the eagle.
The ia-incii)al standard of Cortez, at his conquest ol' ^Mexico, accord-
in-' to Lernal Diaz, says Trescott, was of black velvet, embroidered
with <j;old and emblazoned with a red cross amidst flames of blue and
white, with this motto in Latin beneath : " Friends, let ?(s follovj the
cross, and under this sifjn, if wc have faith, ive shall conquer," — a
legend which was doubtless suggested by that on the labarum of
Constantiue.
Another standard of Cortez, described by his follower, Dernal
Diaz, as borne in the procession when Cortez returned thanks to
God, at Cuyoacan, for the cap-
\^..^Jk^,^^ ■_^'^^^^i' _ ture of the city of Mexico,
1519, is now preserved in the
National Museum of that cap-
ital. The authenticity of this,
probably the oldest flag in ex-
istence, is sustained by a se-
ries of accounts, beginning
with that of Bernal Diaz. I
am indebted to the Hon. John
W. Foster, our minister to
Mexico, for the illustration of
this banner, engraved from
his pencil sketch, as framed,
and for the following descrip-
tion of it : " This standard is
now dejDOsited in the National
Museum in this capital. The
evidences of its authenticity are accredited by documents in the mu-
seimi, and it is vouched for by Don Lorenzo Boturini, a learned
Spanish gentleman contemporaneous with its recovery from the
Tlascalan allies to whom Cortez gave it (see ' Idea de una nueva his-
toria general de la America Septentrio7ial '), and by Don Lucas Alaman,
the distinguished Mexican historian and statesman {' Disertaeiones
sohre la historia de Mexico^ vol. i., Appendice, p. 19).
1 Gallatin, cited by Sir Jolm Bowring in his Decimal System.
OF ANCIENT AND MODERN NATIONS. 83
"The standard has been placed in a frame and under glass for
preservation, being much worn and faded. It is about one yard
square, and is thus described by the authors cited : ' The standard is
of red damask. On the front side is painted a most beautiful figure
of the Most Holy Mary, with a crown of gold, and surrounded with
twelve stars of gold, her hands joined as if in praying to her Most
Holy Son to protect and strengthen the Spaniards in conquering the
idolatrous empire to the Catholic faith. The image has a blue mantle
and a flesh-colored tunic ; the embroidery forming the border is green.
On the reverse side are painted the royal arms of Castile and Leon.
A more modern damask has been sewed on this side, in framing for
preservation, so that the arms cannot be seen.' " ^
During the colonial government, on the anniversary of the surren-
der of Guatemozin, the 13th of August, 1521, a solemn procession was
annually made around the walls of the city, headed by the viceroy,
and displaying the venerable standard of the conqueror.^
San Salvador. — By a decree issued in 1865, the national flag
and arms of the Eepublic of San Salvador are as follows : —
Article 1. The national flao- will consist of five blue and four white
stripes, running horizontally; each stripe shall be nine inches in width
and from three to four yards long. At the superior angle, adjoining
the staff, there shall be a square on a red ground of one yard each way,
in which shall be placed nine white five-pointed stars, to represent
the nine departments of the republic.
Article 2. The above-described shall be the merchant flag. The
battle-flag shall be of the same design and size, with the difference
that the square shall contain the coat of arms of the republic on the
converse [obverse], and the nine stars on the reverse.
Article 3. The national coat of arms will be the. same as that of the
old confederation, with the following modifications, viz. : 1. In place of
five volcanoes there shall be but one in eruption. 2. In the space above
the volcano there shall appear nine stars, forming a semicircle. 3. At
the base, the new flag of the republic shall- be represented, running
entirely across the shield. 4. The cap of liberty will be placed where
the cornucopias meet. 5. The inscription, " 15th September, 1821,"
shall appear in the centre of the shield, and running across the cap of
liberty. 6. Within the circle above the centre of the arms shall be
placed the words, "Eepublic of Salvador, in Central America."
1 Letters, Hon. John W, Foster, Aug. 31, 1878, and Jan. 23, 1879 ; also Letter,
A. Nunez Ortega, Jan. 17, 1879.
- Prescott's Conquest of ]\Iexico.
84 Tin: SYMBOLS. Sl'A.NDAKDS, AND JJAXNEUS
Sandwich Isi.anus. — Tiio llai^ of tin.' Snndwicli Island:, has an
Euglish jack for a union; and I'ov a Hold, nine- liorizonlal stri])es, —
white, red, and l^hie alternately. Thi.s tla^; A\as given the islanders
by the liriti.sh Government, with an assurance that it would be re-
spected wherever the Jiritish Hag was acknowledged. The present
flag has only eight stripes, the lowest blue stripe being omitted.
The rojjal standard has no union, but in the centre of the Hag a
white field, blazoned with the royal arms.
Formerly, the Sandwich Islanders hoisted a white flagon the end of
a spear, at each end of the enclosure of their ' puhonas,' or cities of
refuge. Whoever entered one of these enclosures, — the gates of which
were alw^ays open, — whatever may have been his offence, it afforded
him inviolable sanctuary.
A wag has suggested as an appropriate standard for the Sandwich
Islands one having bread-and-butter strij^es, with ham stars, on a
groundwork of mustard, as a design that would readily suggest its
nationality.
The Society Islands. — The flags of the gods, or the emblems
of the Society Islanders, w^ere carried in battle to inspire the combat-
ants with confidence, and their martial banners were hoisted on board
the different fleets, or carried by the bravest warriors in the centre
of their armies. These flags were red, white, and black. They also
used a flag of truce. A sacred flag w-as used in their processions, and
regarded as an emblem of their duties.
March 17, 1829, Commander J. Laws, E.K, commanding H.B.M.
ship Satellite, proposed for the Georgian and Society Islands a flag
"red above, white in the middle, and red below," which was adopted
as a national flag by the chiefs.^
The present flag of the islands has the French tricolor grafted on
this flag as a jack or union, emblematic of the French protectorate
established in 1844.
Xew Zealand. — The flag of these islanders was granted them
by British authorities as an emblem of sovereignty and independence.
It is a white flag, charged with a red St. George's cross. In the upper
left-hand canton formed by this cross there is a blue union, divided
by a similar red cross bordered wdth white, and each of its blue quarters
has a five-pointed white star in its centre.
When this flag was given to the chiefs at the Bay of Islands, they
1 Ellis's Polynesian Researches.
OF ANCIENT AND MODEEN NATIONS. 85
were assembled, and told that as long as it was allowed to fly they
were free and independent, but as soon as the flag of any other power
was flown in its stead, they would be no longer free, but slaves. In
1844, fearing the French might take possession of the islands, the
English hoisted their own ensign at the Bay of Islands, and the act
led to a war between them and the natives, which lasted several years.
Peru. — Prescott, referring to Gomara, Sarmiento, and Velasco, as
his authority for the statement, says that in the Inca army each com-
pany had its particular banner, and that the imperial standard, high
above aU, displayed the glittering device of the rainbow, the armorial
ensign of the Incas, intimating their claims as children of the skies.^
The modern Peruvian flag and standard is composed of two red
and one perpendicular white stripe, — the centre of the white stripe
bearing the arms of the republic. The colors, red and white alternate,
are said to have been suggested by the red and white feathers which
were conspicuous ornaments of the head-dress or coronets of the
ancient Incas.
THE STANDAEDS AND FLAGS OF EUROPEAN" STATES.
Italy, Denmark, Spain, Austria, Germany, Eussia, Belgium,
Greece, Holland, Portugal, Sweden and Norway.
Italian Standards. — About a.d. 1040, the Italians, who bor-
rowed the idea from the Persians, who borrowed it from the Egyp-
tians, invented, at Milan, the carriocium, or car standard, which was
introduced into France about a.d. 1100. This pompous and cumbrous
standard of the Italians consisted of a 'banner royal' fastened to
the top of a mast or small tree, which was planted on a scaffold and
borne by a chariot drawn by oxen covered with velvet housings,
decorated with the devices or cipher of the prince. At the foot of
the mast stood a priest, who said mass early every morning. Ten
knights kept guard on the scaffold day and night, and as many
trumpeters at its foot never ceased flourishing, to animate the troops.
This cumbrous machine continued in use one hundred and thirty
years. Its iDOSt was the centre of the army ; and the greatest feats
of daring were in attacks upon it, and in its defence. No victory
was considered complete, and no army reputed vani^uished, until it
had lost its standard.
^ Prescott's Conquust of Peru.
S(3 Till-: SYMl'.oLS, Sl'ANDAKDS, AND I'.ANNERS
Alviano, the L,n'c;it cliaiiipioii of the Orsini family, when he look
the city of Vitebro, caused to be embroidered on liis sitaMdard a
unicorn at a fountain surrounded by snakes, toads, and other rep-
tiles, and stirring the water with his horn before he drinks : motto,
"Venana pdlo" — "I expel poisons," — alluding to the property of
detecting poison assigned to the horn of the unicorn. This standard
was lost on the fatal day of Vicenza. ]\Iarc Antonio ]\Ionte, who car-
ried it, being mortally wounded, kept the tattered remnant clasped in
his arms, and never loosed his grasp until he fell dead on the field.
The ]Marquis of Pescara's standard at the battle of Eavenna had
for device a Spartan shield, with the injunction of the Spartan mother
to her son before the battle of ]\Iantinea for a motto, " AvJ cvm hoc,
aut in hoc,'' — "Either with this, or on it." Pescara is buried in the
church of Domenico Maggiore at Naples. Above his tomlj hangs
his torn banner, and a plain short sword, surrendered to him by
Francis I., at Pavia.
The ensign of the Eoman family of Colouua is a silver column,
with base and capital of gold, surmounted by a golden crown, the
grant of the Emperor Louis of Bavaria, in acknowledgment of ser-
vices rendered by Stefano Colonna, who, when chief senator of Piome,
crowned Louis in the Capitol contrary to the wishes of the Pope.^
The royal stcmclarcl of the present kingdom of Italy is a square
wdiite flag bordered with blue, and has blazoned on the centre of its
field the arms of Savoy, a cross arrjcnt on a reel {(julcs) shield, sur-
mounted by a regal crown, supported hj an ermine mantle and l^y
trophies of national flags.
The mcin-of-vxir flajj of the United Kingdom of Italy is composed
of equal green, red, and white vertical stripes, the green next the
staff, the centre or white stripe being charged wdth the royal arms
and crown. The merclutnt flaej is the same, except that on it the
crown is omitted.
The origin of the Savoy arms is this : In 1309, Filles de Villaret,
grand master of the Knights Hospitallers of St. John, defended the
Island of Pihodes against the Soldan, with the assistance of the Duke
of Savoy, to w^hom, in gratitude for his timely help, they granted the
badge of their order, a white cross on a red shield.^
The Magic Standard of Denmaek. — The banner of Denmark,
taken from the Danes by Alfred the Great, was a famous magical
^ Bury's Historic AVar Crie.s and Devices.
2 Hospinan de Orig. ilonach, lib. v. p. 333.
OF ANCIENT AND MODERN NATIONS. 87
standard. According to Sir John Spelman, it had for a device the
image of a raven magically wrought by three sisters, Hungar and
Hubba, on purpose for the expedition, in revenge of their father Lode-
brock's murder. It was made, said the sisters, in an instant, being
begun and finished in a noontide. The raven has been regarded from
very early ages as an emblem of God's providence, — probably from the
record in Holy Writ of its being employed to feed Elijah in his seclu-
sion by the brook of Cherith. The Danes believed it carried great
fatality with it, and therefore it was highly esteemed Ijy them. They
believed that when carried in battle towards good success, the raven
would clap his wings, or make as if it would. That the raven was
their standard is confirmed by the figure of that bird on the coins of
Aulef, the Danish King of Northumberland.
The embroidery of flags afforded occupation and amusement to the
ladies of the Middle Ages ; thence their value became enhanced, and
it was highly shameful for a knight not to defend to the death what
his mistress's hands had wrought.
When Waldemar II., of Denmark, w^as engaged in a great bat-
tle with the Livonians in the year a.d. 1219, it is said that a
sacred banner fell from heaven into the midst of the army, and
so revived the courage of his troops that they gained a complete
victory over the Livonians. In memory of the event, Waldemar
instituted an order of knighthood, called 'St. Dannebrog,' or 'the
strength of the Danes,' which is the principal order of knighthood
in Denmark. The truth appears to be, that King Waldemar, observ-
ing his men giving ground to the enemy, who had beaten down his
standard, which bore an eagle, raised up a consecrated banner or
silver cross, which had been sent him by the Pope, and under it
rallied his troops, and ultimately gained the victory. This achieve-
ment caused the people to believe that the banner had been sent from
heaven.^
The present royal standard of Denmark and riian-of-ivar ensign
and admiraV s flag are red swallows-tailed flags, with a white cross, the
colors of Savoy. On the standard, the cross is quadrate and charged
with the royal achievements, the shield being encircled with the col-
lars of the orders of the Elephant and Dannebrog. The quadrate of
the cross in the admiral's flag is blazoned with an oval shield, azure,
bearing three golden crowns, surrounded by a border of gold, the
wdiole encircled with a wreath of laurel. The flag for merchant ships
is a square red flag with a white cross.
1 Xewton's Display of Heraldry. London, 1846.
,-..?
^
4
i
r
A Spanish Standard.
From
ica
the
map of North Amer-
Diego Uonem, 1558.
88 llli: SY.MHOLS, STANDAliDS, AM) IJANNKKS
Spanish Standakd.s and Flags. — The staiulard of Fenian Oon-
sales, Count df Ca.slile, in the eleventh century, was a massive .silver
cross, two ells in length, with Our Saviour
sculptured upon it, and above his head, in
Gothic letters, "I. N. R. I. ; " below was Adam
awaking from the grave, with the words of St.
Paul, "Awake, thou who sleepest, and arise
from the dead, and Christ shall give thee life."
This standard is said to l>e still preserved in
a Spanish convent.
The standard of the Cid was green, —
" There were knights five hiuidred went armed before,
Aud Bermudez * the Cid's ' green standard bore."
During the famous engagement between the forces of Aragon and
Castile, called, from the field where it took place, dc la Espina, the brave
Count of Candespina (Gomez Gonzalez) stood his ground to the last, and
died on the field of battle. His standard-bearer, a gentleman of the
house of Olea, after having his horse killed under him, and both hands
cut off by sabre strokes, fell beside his master, still clasping the stand-
ard in his arms, and repeating his war-cry of ' Olea.' ^ This incident
has been rendered in stirring verse by an American poet, — George H.
Boker.
" Down on the ranks of Aragon
The bold Gonzalez drove,
And Olea raised his battle-cry,
And waved the flag above.
" Backward fought Gomez, step by step,
Till the cry was close at hand,
Till his dauntless standard shadowed him,
And there he made his stand.
" As, pierced with countless wounds, he fell.
The standard caught his eye.
And he smiled, like an infant hushed to sleep,
To hear the battle-cry. •
" ' Yield up thy banner, gallant knight !
Thy lord Ues on the plain ;
Thy duty has been nobly done ;
I would not see thee slain.'
1 Mr. George, Annals of the Queen of Spain.
OF ANCIENT AND MODERN NATIONS. 89
" ' Spare pity, King of Aragon,
I would not hear thee lie ;
My lord is looking do\^Ti from heaven, «
To see his standard fly.'
" ' Yield, madman, yield ! Thy horse is down ;
Thou hast nor lance nor shield.
Fly ! I will gi-ant thee time.' — ' This flag
Can neither fly nor yield ! '
" They girt the standard round about
A wall of flashing steel ;
But still they heard the battle-cry, —
< Olea for CastUe ! '
"And there, against all Aragon,
Full armed with lance and brand,
Olea fought, until the sword
Snapped in his sturdy hand.
'' Among the foe, with that high scorn
Which laughs at earthly fears.
He hurled the broken hilt, and drew
His dagger on the spears.
" They hewed the hauberk from his breast,
The helmet from his head.
They hewed the hands from off his limbs, —
From every vein he bled.
" Clasping the standard to his heart,
He raised one dying peal,
That rang as if a trumpet blew, —
'Oka for Castile.""
When Vasco Xunez de Balboa, Sept. 7, 1513, first touched the
shore of the Pacific, at a bay which he named St. jVIichael, after the
saint on whose day it was discovered, the tide was out, and so gradual
was the incline of the strand that the water was full half a league
distant. Nunez Balboa seated himself under a tree until it should
come in. At last it came dashing on to his very feet with great im-
petuosity. He then started up, seized a banner on which was painted
a virgin and child and under them the arms of Castile and Leon,
and, drawing his sword, advanced into the sea until the water was
up to his knees, — then waving the standard, he exclaimed with a
loud voice : " Long live the high and mighty monarchs Don Fernand
90
Tin: SVMliOLS, STANDARDS, AM) llANXKliS
and Ponna Juannn, sovereigns of Castile and Leon, and of Aragon,
in wliiisf nanif T take ical and eorjtoral and actual possession
of these seas, islands, coasts,
&c., in all time, so long as
the world endures, and until the
final day of judgment to all
mankind ! " His followers hav-
ing tasted the water, and found
it indeed salt, returned thanks
to God. When tlie ceremonies
were concluded, Vasco Nunez
drew his dagger and cut three
crosses on trees in the neigh-
borhood, in lionor of the three
persons of the Holy Trinity, and
his example was followed l^y
many of his soldiers.
Ferdinand and Isabella, in
their jMoorish wars, used a mas-
sive cross of silver, presented
them by Pope Sixtus IV., as a
standard, which Ferdinand al-
ways carried in his tent during
his campaigns.
The ceremonials observed on
the occupation of a new Spanish conquest, says ]\iarineo, were for the
royal ' alferez ' or ensign to raise the standard of the cross, the sign of
our salvation, on the summit of the principal fortress, when all who
beheld it prostrated themselves on their knees in silent worship of the
Almighty, while the priests chanted the Tc Dcum Laudamns. Tlie
ensign or pennon of St. James, the patron of Spain, was then un-
folded, and all invoked his blessed name. Lastly, the standard of the
sovereigns emblazoned with the royal arms was displayed, at which
the army shouted as if with one voice, " Castile ! Castile ! " After
these solemnities, a bishop led the way to the principal mosque, which,
after rites of purification, he consecrated to the service of the true
faith.
It was stated in 'All the Year Ifound,' in 18G6, that the flag of
Pizarro was then preserved in the Municipal Hall at Caracas, S. A.,
enshrined in a glass case, it having been sent from Peru in 1837.
" All the silk and velvet are eaten off, but the gold wire with the
Banner of Balboa.
OF ANCIENT AND MODERN NATIONS. 91
device of a lion and the word Carlos remained. Tlie flag is about five
feet long and three broad, and being folded double in the frame, but
one-half is seen. They will not allow it to be taken out." Per con-
tra, General San Martin, when he voluntarily resigned the reins of
power at Lima, in his speech on that memorable occasion, said, " I keep
as a record the standard which Pizarro bore when he enslaved the
empire of the Incas." In answer to inquiries which I instituted in
1879, concerning this flag, through the Hon. Eichard Gibbs, U. S. Min-
ister to Peru, Seiior Camacho, a nephew of Bolivar, wrote Col. Manuel de
Odnozola, under date, " Lima, April 22, 1879 : " " When I was Secretary
of the Municipal Council of Caracas, in 1848, I saw in a glass case,
kept in the Hall of Sessions, a banner, richly embroidered, said
to be Pizarro's. I can see it now, embroidered in gold, — the lion,
the red ground, the creases in the flag, and all the details of the
standard, — which I understood was brought from Peru by the regi-
ments'Janin' and 'Caracas' on their return, this valuable present
having been made to the Liberator Bolivar, by the government of that
republic ; but Doct. Lama, chief clerk in the Foreign Office, and my
immediate chief, has assured me that it could not be Pizarro's flag, as
it never left Peru. Please clear up this point, as you have a great
memory, and such abundant archives to draw from."
To this note, Colonel Odnozola, librarian and keeper of the ar-
chives, who was over eighty years of age, replied, " April 23d : " "I
immediately answer your note of yesterday, stating that I and my
contemporaries never saw any other standard than that which was
brought out on the 1st and 6th of January, ' Dia de los Rcyesl ^ in
the grand procession of the alcaldes." This standard was said to be,
and all believed it to be, the one that Pizarro brought to the conquest
of Peru. It was preserved in the municipal chamber, and was pre-
sented by that body to General San Martin, who, when he left the
country, carried it with him, as he so stated in his valedictory address
when he delivered the presidential scarf to the Constitutional Con-
gress in 1822. By a clause in his will, he desired that the valu-
able relic should be returned to Peru; and the executor of the will in
France delivered it to Colonel Bolonese to bring it to Peru, who
complied with the order, depositing it in the palace M'hen General
Pezet had supreme command of the republic. On the 6th of No-
vember, 1865, when the palace was sacked, it was carried off, and up
1 Lima was founded Jan. 6, 1535-36, King's Day, by Pizarro (Dia de los Eeyes),
and afterwards, on that anniversary, the flag was always carried in the procession up to
the time of the Independence of Peru, 1822.
92 THE SYMBOLS, .STANlJAKDS. AND JJANXKK.S
to the present time (1879) the thief remains unknown, or where it
went to."
" In the wdvk imblished in Buenos Ayres on the inauguration of tlie
statue of General San ]\Iartiu, tliere was printed or engraved a copy oi'
the standard, drawn by Senor Balcacer, the son-in-law of General San
^Martin, previous to his delivering the original to Col. Bolonese."
Senor Eicardo Palma also writes Seiior Camacho : " Pizarro's stand-
ard M-as presented by the Corporation of Lima, in LS22, to General
San Martin, who, when he died, willed that it sliould be returned
to Peru. Balcacer, son-in-law of San ]\Iartin, carried out the in-
structions of the will, and the flag M-as deposited in the palace.
According to some, Pezet presented this precious relic to the rear-
admiral or some chief of tlie reinstating or ' revin cadera ' of the
Chincha Islands ; by others, that it was stolen by the mob who sacked
the palace, Xov. G, 1865, when Pezet fell. The presentation of the
standard to San Martin is recorded in the official gazette of the year of
its presentation, and it is mentioned by later historians. I have often
tried to follow up the track of the flag, with no better result than I have
mentioned. In the processions of the alcaldes, January 6, it was car-
ried by the ' alfarez real,' or royal ensign, to whose custody it was con-
fided. The rich flag you saw in Caracas could not have been that of the
' conquestador.' When he commenced his daring enterprise he was not
in a position to sport a valuable banner. Old men who saw the standard
in 1822 have told me that it was of poor material, and badly used."
The standard of Cortez, described and illustrated heretofore, is
preserved in the city of Mexico. ^
The present roijcd standard of Spain bears the arms of Catherine
of Aragon, with those of Aujou in pretence displayed over its whole
area. The man-of-ioar fiag is yellow, interposed between two hori-
zontal bars (each half its own depth) of red, and is charged towards
its dexter with the arms of Castile and Leon impaled within a red
circular bordure, and ensigned wdth the Spanish crown. The mer-
chant fiag is without the royal arms, and has a narrow yellow stripe
at the top and bottom of the flag outside the two red bars.
Spain becoming a great kingdom on the union of Castile and
Aragon, united as a national flag the arms of the two kingdoms. But
long before that, Barcelona ships had worn the red and yellow stripes
known as the ' bars of Aragon.' The tradition is, that in the year 873
Charles the Bald honored Geoffrey, Count of Barcelona, who had been
mortally wounded in the battle against the Normans, by dij)ping his
1 Pages 82, 83.
OF ANCIENT AND MODERN NATIONS. 93
four fingers in the blood flowing from the Count's wounds, and draw-
ing them down the Count's golden shield. The story is, however, a
pure fable, as the stripes on the Spanish flags are not so old by two
hundred years. They are simply a pun on the name of Barcelona, —
' barras longas.' Afterwards, as Barcelona merged into the kingdom
of Aragon, its arms were adopted for those of the kingdom. From
the first greatness of Spain, her ships wore the Castilian flag, — quar-
tering Castile and Leon. It was this, as the national flag, that was
worn by the ships of Columbus, — noteworthy in the history of navi-
gation as the first to cross the Atlantic Ocean.
On the accession of Charles V. to the kingdom of Spain, he
introduced the Burgundian flag, — the red raguled saltire on a white
ground, — which was to some extent used for two hundred and fifty
years. The ships of the Armada, in 1.588, bore the Burgundian cross.
In a series of maps of the actions, preserved in the British Museum, the
Spanish fleet is as distinctly marked by the red saltire as the English
by the red cross.
There seems to be no doubt whatever that, during the latter half
of the sixteenth and the first half of the seventeenth century, the
Spanish flag was white, with the red Burgundian cross ; and a memo-
randum drawm up at Toulon, in 1662, says that, "During the war with
Spain, our ships always wore in battle a red ensign at the stern, to
distinguish them from the Spaniards, who wore a white ; but in the
last war with the English they (the French) wore white, as different
from the English red." ^
To the Bourbon marriage must be attributed the introduction of a
white fl*ag, bearing the royal arms, similar in effect to the French
standard. The old one, however, was not entirely abolished ; and an
order, dated Jan. 20, 1732, systematizes the complexity: —
" The king, having resolved that the ships of the fleet are to be
divided into three squadrons, and that each of these shall belong to
one of the ports abeady established in Spain, orders that every ship
is to carry at the stern a white ensign, with the royal arms, as now in
use. And to distinguish the different squadrons, those ships which
belong to Cadiz shall wear as masthead flags or j)ennons, or at the
bowsprit cap, white, with the royal arms. Ferrol ships shall wear
white, with the Burgundy cross, charged at each of its four corners
with an anchor ; and Carthagena shall wear violet (inorado), with the
shield of the castles and lions." ^
1 Jal : Abraham Dii Qiiesne, vol. i. p. 588.
2 Disquisaciones Nauticas, por el Capitan de Navis, C. F. Dnro, p. 271.
94 THE SV.M1U»L>. STANDAKDS, AND I;ANM:KS
III the engraving in Anson's ' Voyage Around Ihe World ' of the
Spanish g.allcon, ' Xostra Sci(jniora dc Cahadonr/aJ caiitured hy him near
the rhilipjiine Islands, in May, 1843, she is shown with the Bur-
gundian ensign at the stern, and a blue or violet flag with the shield
of the castles and lions at the niain.^
The ships that fought under Navarro, off Touhjn, in 1744, belonged
to Cadiz ; those that formed the squadron olf Havana, in 1748, were
from Ferrol. The Spanish contingent of the allied fleet that invaded
the channel in 1779 consisted of the Cadiz and Ferrol squadrons,
with possibly some ships from Carthageua. Throughout the why of
American Independence, no distinctive squadrons were fitted out
from that port, and the head-quarters of the gTand fleet were through-
out at Cadiz.
During these wars of the eighteenth century, the white flag was
found to be inconvenient, from its closely resembling, at a little dis-
tance, the white flag of France, and the shield bearing white flags
of Naples and Tuscany. It was resolved, therefore, to alter it ; and,
after examining twelve patterns which were submitted, the existing
flag was ordered, by a decree dated j\Iay 28, 1785. In this, the flag is
defined as being in three horizontal stripes : the top and bottom red,
each one fourth of the whole In-eadth ; the middle yellow, and on it
the simple shield of Castile and Leon, quarterly, surmounted by the
royal crown. The merchant flag was at the same time defined as
having the yellow stripe in the middle without the shield, one-third
of the wdiole wddth, each of the remaining parts being divided into
two equal stripes colored red and yellow alternately .^ There is
no doubt the red and yellow then adopted was derived from the
Aragon bars, being also the colors of the arms of Castile ; but the
Aragon arms are vertical. It is a coincidence that the arms of Ad-
miral Cordova, at that time commander-in-chief of the Spanish na^ v,
were barry of seven o)% and gules.
Such as it was appointed in 1785, the Spanish flag has remained,
with the exceptions of the short-lived change during the reign of Joseph
Bonaparte, and at the time of the disturbance of 1868 to 1875, when
the revolutionary ships flew any flag tliey thought best, Mdth a prefer-
ence for a plain red one, denoting the Commune ; sometimes a tri-
color of violet, wdiite, and red.
1' Anson's Voyage Around the World, &c., by Richard Walter, p. 373. 1 vol. 4to.
Printed for the author, 1748. Mr. Laughton says, in the plate in Harris's Collection of
Voyages, the masthead flag is white.
2 Duro, p. 273.
OF ANCIENT AND MODEKN NATIONS. 95
The red, yellow, red flag of 1785, but without shield or crown,
was ordered by King Alfonzo XII. to resume its place as the national
ensign, on the 6th of January, 1875.^
AusTKiAN Standard and Flags. — The field of the imperial stand-
ard of Austria is yellow, with an indented border of gold, silver,
red, and black, and displays the eagle of the empire. The national
or man-of-war Jlag is formed of three equally wide horizontal divisions,
the central one white, and the two others red ; on the central division
towards the dexter is a shield charged as the flag itself, having also
the imperial cipher within a narrow golden border, ensigned with the
imperial crown. The Jtag of the merchant service is the same, except
that the flag is additionally blazoned with the Hungarian arms, and for
the outer half of the red stripe green is substituted, indicating the union
of the Kingdom of Hungary with Austria, and also its independence.
The national colors of Hungary are red, white, and green, arranged
horizontally, — the green in chief, and the red at the base. The im-
perial eagle of Austria is claimed to be the successor of the eagle of the
German emperor, which succeeded the eagle of ancient Eome ; and bears
two heads, which symbolize the eastern and western Eoman empires.
Since 1495, according to an official return, two thousand and thirty-
three colors and standards have been taken by Austrian troops from
the enemy, and nine hundred and sixty-nine Austrian standards and
colors captured.
EussiAN Standard and Flags. The imperial standard of Eussia
is yellow, blazoned with a double-headed eagle, surmounted by the
imperial crown; each of the eagle's heads is
— ^^r — \ also crowned, and in each of the eagle's beaks
--•^ -^ /^?^ 1 and in each claw is borne a chart, supposed to
I
yPf3S>
represent the Caspian and Black Seas, the
White Sea, and the Baltic. On the breast of
the eagle there is a red shield charged with
a St. George on horseback spearing a dragon
under the horse's feet. Pendent from the
necks of the eagle and surrounding the shield
is the collar and badge of the order of St. An-
Royai standard of Russia. drew, established by Pctcr the Great in 1698.
1 'The Heraldiy of the Sea,' a lecture delivered by J. K. Laughton, A.M. R.N,, Lec-
turer on Naval Histoiy at the Eoyal Naval College, Feb. 28, 1879, before the Royal
United Service Institution.
96
THE SYMnOLS. STAXDARDS. AND r.AXXKKS
The Czar of all the Eussias bears (ni his standard the double-headed
eagle, as an assured successor of the Itonian Ca-sars. Its two heads,
however, might denote his own eastern and western empires, — Asiatic
and European Russia.
The merchant flag has three horizontal divisions, the ujiperniost
white, the central blue, and the loAvermust red. The man-of-icar flag
is white, with a blue diagonal cross ; and this flag is charged in the
dexter chief quarter of the larger flags with stripes of red, white, and
blue, for the three squadrons of the Russian navy.
The original ensign seems to have been borrowed by Peter the
Great who originated it, from the Dutch, and is merely the Dutch
flag upside down.
Al'terwards, as a
further distinc-
tion, the white
was charged Avith
a small blue St.
Andrew's cross.
During the great-
er part of the last
century, the lius-
sian navy More a
\vhite,blue,orred
ensign, the latter
bearing the blue
cross in a white
canton.
The annexed
engraving is a
fac-simile of the
banner under
which the Rus-
sians conquered
the Tartars in
1386, and is a
curious specimen
of the banners of
the fourteenth century. A fac-simile of the banner was presented to
the Russian Legion in 1876.^
'Scribner's Monthly,' for February, 1880, has an engraving of a
1 Lomlon Graphic, Oct. 28, 1876.
Russian Flag, 13S6.
OF ANCIENT AND MODERN NATIONS. 97
military flag of Peter the Great's time, representing a warrior on horse-
back, with a drawn sword; but the magazine does not give any de-
scription of the flag, or state where it is preserved.
In the Eussian navy they pay honors and a respect to their na-
tional flag that other nations would do well to follow. The ensign is
lowered with great formality at sunset. The officers are assembled on
the quarter-deck, with the band in position, and the crew in their
places. As the flag begins to descend, the national air is played, and
the officers and crew stand uncovered before the emblem of the na-
tion's sovereignty. It is hoisted with similar ceremonies. In 1871,
the Emperor of Eussia presented new flags to those regiments of his
army which had reached their centenary, inscribed " 1771-1871."
The Belgian Standaed ANDTj.iG. — The Belgian colors — black,
yellow, and red — are those of the' BiTchy" of Brabant. They were
formed into a national lidg in 1831, clearly on the French model. The
standard is composed of equal bars of black, yellow, and red, arranged
A'^ertically, the black life-xf the staff". The royal a'rms — a golden lion on
a black shield with the 'supporters and crown ^^ are charged on the
central yellow division. The national ensign }&: the same flag without
the arms. The admiral' s- flag is also the same, but has four white
balls in the upper part of -the black, stripe. The vicc-admiraT s has
three balls, and the Tmr^adniiTf:(^s': X^h. 'Commodores' pennants are
like the ensign, but swallow-tpnlficl "■ •
Greece has adopted the colors of Bavaria, from which she got her
first king.
The merchant flag of Greece has a blue union with a white cross
cantoned on the ensign, the field of which is white, with five blue
bars ; that is, it has nine alternate stripes of blue and white.
The man-of-vjar flag has a yellow crown in the centre of the cross.
The Alexandres, the first vessel bearing the Greek flag that ever
arrived at a port of the United States, entered the port of Boston,
Mass., in August, 1835. She was built for a brig of war, but was
owned by her commander ; and her officers and crew were all Greeks.
She was laden with Samos wine, which, from her being a pioneer
vessel, was admitted free of duty.
Standard and Flag of the Netherlands. — The natiorial flag
is of three equal stripes or bars, red, white, and blue, horizontally
arranged, the red in chief, and white in the centre.
7
98 THE SYMDOLS, .STANDAKD.s, AND IJANNEKS
The stajulard has the royal achievement of arms charged upon
the wliite, with the motto, " Jc maintundraij" The three colors were
given to the Dutch by Henry IV., of France, on their requesting him
to confer on them the national colors of his country. They have ever
since continued the colors of the Dutch KepuLlic, and its successor, the
Kingdom of the Netherlands. The admiral's and llcntaiant-admiraV s
Jiags are the same as the national ensign, but bear in the upper or red
stripe four white balls. The flag of the vice-admiral has only three
balls, and a rear-admiral but two.
Holland, as an independent State, had no existence till the latter
part of the sixteenth century. Before that time, it had fallowed the
fortunes of the Duchy of Burgundy, and had become inc(3rporated in
the dominions of the King of Spain, — with them it had the Burgun-
dian flag; and as the different pc-rts were in the habit of using flags
of their own, these were lei'deied illegal by a decree of 1540, and as
early as 1475 all ships were ordered "to cari)'- the arms and standards
of the Duke," and agai^^ in 1487, "to carry tbe banners and pennons
of the admiral, in iitt'dftion to any other local or spe!cial flags." ^ It is
certain, therefore, tji.it ii-om these dates to the oirtbreak of the War
of Independence th&- IiXlicch ships carried the Bu.'-gundian flag, — the
red raguled saltire o\\ a white field ; but fiom tlie very first discon-
tent the Gueux adopted the celprs of tlie" House of Orange, — orange,
white, and blue, — which ,'Vas/ at fixsi,*tb I'e worn promiscuously or
haphazard, though very sh(3rtly,;*t0v tiife ''cry of ' Oranje haven !' — ' Up
with the orange ! ' They were arranged in horizontal bars, with the
orange uppermost ; but the number and order of the bars continued
a matter of fancy until 1599, when the flag was definitely fixed as
orange, white, and blue, in three horizontal stripes, although even
then, and for a hundred years afterwards, this was not unfrequently
doubled, and contained six strij)es, but in the same order ; and in
the jacks on the bowsprit, or rather at the head of the spritsail-top-
mast (jack staff), the three colors in no certain order radiated from
the centre. When standing into Gibraltar Bay to annihilate the
Spaniards, on the 25th of April, 1607, Heemskirk wore an orange scarf,
and in his hat a large orange plume. Fournier, writing in 1643, speaks
of the Dutch flag as red, white, and blue ; so that possibly the change
was natural, from the similarity of colors, and had then well begun.
But De Jonge, speaking from much oflicial information, and from old
records and contemporary pictures, considers that the change did not
1 J. C. de Jonge : "Over den Oorsprong der Nederlandsche Vlag." In Key, vol. ii.
p. 512.
OF ANCIENT AND MODERN NATIONS. 9&
begin till 1653, and then very gradually effected between that date and
1665 ; and that the battles of the first war with England were fought
under the orange, and that in the second war the colors were as now,
— red, white, and blue ; as, indeed, they have continued ever since.
During a few years consequent on the French Eevolution, the flags
of ships of war were distinguished by a white canton charged with
a figure of Liberty, armed wdth pike in hand and lion at feet. This
flag was worn by the Dutch ships at Camperdown. In 1806, after a
dangerous mutiny, it was considered expedient to restore the old flag ;
but by some omission the ships of the Texel and Zuyder Zee wore
the old flag, w^hilst the ships of the Zealand squadron wore the new,
with Liberty in the canton, — a curious irregularity, which continued
until July 17, 1810, Avhen Holland and her flag were suppressed and
absorbed into the French Empire.
On the 18th of February, 1653, Van Tromp wore the lion flag at the
stern, the orange, white, and blue at the main ; De Euyter, the lion at
the stem, the tricolor at the fore, and a white flag at the main ; Evert-
zen, a blue flag at the main, the national colors at the mizzen, and
the States arms at the stern.^
Standard and Flag of Portugal. — On the 25th of July, 1139,
Affonso Henriques, Count of Portugal, with thirteen thousand sol-
diers, including a band of English and French
knights, on their w^ay to the second crusade
defeated a Moorish army, commanded by five
kings, and consisting, according to the lowest
estimate, of two hundred thousand men. The
night before the battle, as the Count was medi-
tating in his tent on the vast superiority of the
enemy's numbers, a hermit entered, and com-
manded him in God's name to go forth in the
morning when he heard the bells toll for mass,
ag o o ug<a . ^^^1 ^^ ^^^^,^ towards the east. He did as told,
and within a halo of clouds beheld the image of our crucified Lord,
who promised him not only victory but a crown, and a succession of
sixteen generations to inherit his sceptre.^
Another version of this legend is that Affonso was much encour-
aged by opening his Bible at the defeat of the Midianites by Gideon,
and that a hermit visited him and promised him a sign of victory.
1 J. K. Laughton's Heraldry of the Sea, 1879, pp. 20, 22.
2 Camoen's Poems.
lUU Till-: SV.MIioLS. STANDAKD.S, AND IJANNKUS
Accordingly at dayl)reak, as the matin bell sounded, there was a
luminous cross seen in the sky, such as had been seen by Constan-
tine ; and an assurance given him that he should be a king, and that
his children to the sixteenth generation sliould reign in Portugal.
His army did in fact salute him king belbre the battle ; and he
rode forward on a white horse, followed by enthusiastic troops, who
won a most brilliant victory, and Portugal became a kingdom.^
In commemoration of this victory, Aflbuso Henriques changed his
arms, which he had received from liis father, viz. arfjcnt, a cross
azure, and substituted for them the present arms of Portugal ; viz.,
five shields disposed crosswise on a white shield, in memory of the
Lord's five wounds, each shield charged with five bezants, in com-
memoration of the five Moorish kings who were slain in the Camp
d'Ourique.
This tradition was never questioned until Herculano, giving an
account of the battle, endeavored to show the legend was unheard of
in the twelfth century, and that the battle was of inferior importance.
On the other side, Pereira de Figuerado, in an earlier treatise, dis-
poses, by anticipation, of most of the later historian's arguments.^
This formed the flag of the early discoverers, — the flag that slowly
pushed its route down the coast of Africa, and led the way around the
Cape of Good Hope to the East Indies. With it, Yasco de Gama
also carried the armillary sphere given him specially by King Dom
Manoel ; and this flag, with the sphere, in gold or red, was long known
as the flag of Portugal in the Indies. The present flag, adopted in
1815, is a modification of the old and glorious flag of Prince Henry
the Navigator.
The present royal standard of Portugal is a red banner, charged
with the royal arms and crown in its centre. The arms are argent,
five escutcheons, each charged w'ith as many plates in saltire, arranged
in a cross azure; the whole in a border gu, upoh -which are seven
castles or ; the outer shield having an or border.
The man-of-war and merchant ensigns are half iniMle, blue and white,
vertical, the blue next the staff, with the same emlilazoued shield as
the royal standard, surmounted by a crown, the shield half in the blue
and half in the white stripe. A clear and handsome flag.
Sweden and Norway. — The ncdional fiag of Sweden is blue with
a yellow cross, and that of Norway is red with a blue cross, having
1 Charlotte M. Yonge's Christians and Moors of Spain.
2 Handbook for Travellers in Portugal. London, 1856.
OF ANCIENT AND MODERN NATIONS. 101
a white fimbriation. These two flags are combmed to form a united
ensign, after the manner of the union jack of Great Britain, and the
united flag is cantoned in the national ensigns. The man-of-war flag
is swallow-tailed, and that of merchantmen square. The admiral's
flags are the same as the man-of-war flag, only smaller. Commodores'
pennants are triangular.
The roj/al standard is charged with the royal arms, crown, and sup-
porters.
The prominent part Sweden once played in European history has
been brought home by the discovery in the war office at Stockholm
of a work prepared by Charles XI., to commemorate her triumphs.
This is an illustrated manuscript in twenty volumes, containing up-
wards of two hundred pages of drawings, with copies of numerous
flags and standards captured by the Swedish armies in battle or siege
down to the year 1697. Olof Hofman received six hundred and forty
rix dollars for its execution. A great part of the original trophies
actually exist in the Eitterholm Church, which does duty as the met-
ropolitan cathedral on great occasions. The king ordered an inves-
tigation to be made of the vast stores of such relics laid up there,
reported to number six thousand, but which were found not to exceed
four thousand. Of these, the most remarkable are to be restored, in
the same manner that similar neglected relics have been restored in
Germany and Switzerland.
The Swedish flag seems to be merely the Danish, with the colors
altered, in 1523, when Sweden won her independence. The Norway
flag is clearly the Danish flag, with a blue cross superimposed ; for,
though it is described as blue fimbriated with white, the authorized
border is too wide. The Swedish-ISrorwegian union, in the canton,
was devised in 1817, when the two countries were united under one
king.
The Standaed and Flags of Geemaxy. — The most recent flag
added to the family of European nations is the black, red, and gold
flag of the Xorth German Empire, which is said to have originated in
the time of Barbarossa. When that emperor was crowned, a.d. 1152,
ruler of Germany, in the Frankfort Cathedral, the way from the Dom
to the Romer Palace, where the festivities were held, was laid with a
carpet representing the colors black, red, and gold. After the corona-
tion, this carpet was given to the people, and every one tried to cut
off a piece, which was carried by them about the city as a flag. In
the year 1184, at the lieichstag at Mayence, these were recognized
102 THE SYMBOLS. STANDAKDS, AM) IJANNKIJS
as tlie true German cokirs, ami were retained until Xajtoleon put an
end to the enii»ire in ISOG. Since that time, tlie llurschenschaften
have kept the old colors in memory. In the revolutionaiy year, 184.S,
the CJerman colors were once again brought to light liy the National
Assemltly at Frankfort. There was considerable discussion as to wliicli
color liad the precedence. ' Freilgrath ' said : " Powder is black, bloml
is red, and golden flickers the flame, that is the old ijnperial standard."
Frederic "Wilhelm II., liowever, was tlie author of the motto bearing
the meaning of the German standard, —
" From uight, through blood, Xd litrlit."
This flag supersedes and covers not alone the black eagle flag and
the standard of Prussia, but the flags of all the lesser states and prin-
cipalities and free towns Avliich are united under the new German
Confederation, viz. : 1, Haml)urg ; 2, Bremen ; 3, Mechlenburg ; 4, Sax-
ony ; 5, Hanover ; 6, Brunswick ; 7, Oldenburg ; 8, Lubec ; 9, Hesse
Cassel; 10, Frankfort ; 11, Baden; 12, Bavaria; 13, Na.ssau ; 14, Hesse
Darmstadt ; and 15, Wurtembero-.
The iiirperial staiulard of Germany is orange, charged in each of its
four c[uarters with three black eagles and an imperial crown. The
arms of a Maltese cross, silver and black, extend across the entire
field of the flag, bearing on its arms the motto, " Gott rait uns, 1870,"
— Gott in the upper arm, mit on the left hand, 'Wiis on the right hand,
and 1870 on the lower arm. The centre of the cross bears a golden
shield blazoned with the black eagle and the imperial arms.
The mciTh-of-war flag is white, with a black eagle in the centre of
a circle, from which are extended the arms of a black cross, bordered
first with a narrow white and then a narrow black stripe. In the
upper canton next the staff formed by the cross there is a black
jVIaltese cross, edged with white, set in the centre of three horizontal
stripes, — black, white, red.
The merchant flag is composed of three horizontal stripes or bars,
of equal width, — black, white, red, — the black uppermost. The
'pilot flag is bordered with a broad band of white.
The Emperor William, in 1873, ordered all the Prussian regiments
to state in detail the history of their regimental colors, and to send in
carefully prepared drawings and paintings of them, designing a history
of all the Prussian colors should be compiled under his own super-
vision.
OF A^X'IEXT AND MODERN NATIONS. 103
FEE^X'H SYMBOLS, STAXDAEDS, AXD FLAGS.
The Standards of the Franks and Gauls. — Ancient and Modern
French Standards, Banners, and Flags.
The Standards of the Franks and Gauls. — The emblems of
the barbarian hordes which, rushing upon the Eoman Colossus, over-
run and subdued Gaul, and established themselves in place of the abo-
riginal inhabitants, are so numerous and diverse, it is impossible to
determine with precision the ensigns of each. To the Franks are
ascribed the half-moon, toads, serpents, and the lion ; the last is sup-
posed to be the parent of the seventeen Belgic lions. According to
many authorities, the Sicambri bore a bull's head ; the Suevi, a bear ;
the Alani, a cat ; the Saxons, a horse ; the Cimbri and most of the
Celts, a bull. The military ensign of the Goths was a cock.i
The old Swiss cantons of Uri and Valais, the purest popular
government known, have existed for more than a thousand years.
Every spring, the little army of Uri, l3earing a banner of ' the bull's
head,' marches to a green meadow among the mountains ; all the men
of lawful age following on foot, the magistrates on horseback, and the
chief magistrate wearing a sword. Eeaching the meadow, the people
gather around the chief ruler ; there is a brief pause of silent prayer ;
and then and there, in the general assembly of the people, the magis-
trates resign their trusts, the chief magistrate delivers up the sword of
his office, leaves the chair, and takes his place with the other citizens.
If he has served them well, they bid him take the chair again ; for
there is no rule that he may not be re-elected.^
French Standards, Banners, and Flags. — To the reign of Louis
XIV., the banner of the King of France was blazoned with his own
device; thus, Charles IX. had 'pillars;' Henry II., 'a half-moon;'
Henry III., 'three crowns;' Henry IV., 'a Hercules club;' Philip
Augustus chose ' a lion; ' Louis VIIL, ' a boar ; ' St. Louis, ' a dragon ; '
Philip the Bold, 'an eagle;' Charles the Fair, 'a leopard;' John,
' swans ; ' Charles V, ' greyhounds and a dolphin ; ' Charles VII. and
VIIL, the ' winged stag ; ' Louis XIL, the gentlest of sovereigns, ' a
porcupine ; ' Francis I., ' the salamander.' Our illustration of a conse-
scrated banner, presented to Charlemagne by the Pope, is from a
mosaic in the Triclinium of San Giovannis de Laterno, built under
1 United Service Journal. 2 q "w^ Curtis's Lecture, October, 1872.
1«M THE .SVMr.nLS. S'l'AM )Ai;i >S. AND I'.A.NNKKS
Charlemagne by T'upe l.co, \vlii(jli lias iieeii partially destroyefl, and is
ill restored. The lull mosaic rejiresents St. I'eter prusi-nting Loo III.
^vith the insignia of the popedom, and giving the standard of war to
Charlemagne, who is represented as kneeling.'
For many centuries it was customary to
choose for a military standard the colors of
the saint in whose intercession the most
confidence was placed. Often being charged
with the custody of .some relic of the saint,
its sanctity was increased.
The ancient kings of France carried St.
]Martin's blue hood or cap for their stand-
ard for six hundred years. The legend of
St. ]\Iartin is that he divided his cloak
Banner presented to Charlemagne witll a naked IjCggar whoni he foUnd pei-
by the Pope. ishiug with cold at the gate of Amiens.
This cloak, miraculously preserved, long formed one of the holiest and
most valued relics of France ; when war was declared, it was carried
before the French monarchs as a sacred banner, and never failed to
assure certain victory. The oratory in wdiich this cloak or cape — in
French, cliape — Avas preserved, acquired the name ' chapelk', and the
person intrusted with its care was termed chapelain ; and thus, accord-
ing to Collin de Plancy, our English words ' chapel ' and ' chaplain ' are
derived. The canons of St. Martin, of Tours, and St. Gratian had a law-
suit for sixty years about a sleeve of this coat, each claiming it as their
property. The Count Larochefocault put an end to the proceedings
by sacrilegiously committing the contested relic to the flames.^ St.
]\Iartin, the son of heathen parents, was born in Hungary, a.d. 316.
He was elected Bishop of Tours, 374, and died a.d. 307 or 400. He
w^as the first saint to w^hom the Eoman Church offered public venera-
tion. St. Martin's standard w^as the richest of all the flags borne by
the ancient kings of France. It was made of taffeta, and painted
with the image of the saint, and was laid upon liis tomb for one or
more days to prepare it for use.
The counts of Anjou, as grand seneschals of France, were the first
flag-bearers of the ensign of St. Martin. Beneton de Peyrins says the
cape of St. Martin w^as kept at Argenteuil, and was carried in a ca.sket
which enclosed it ; but that the banner of St. ]\Iartin was of the form of
other banners, resembled the ancient labarum, and w^as carried by a
chosen warrior, and not by a priest.
^ Deodorus's Christian Iconogi-apliy. - riianihers's Book of Days,
OF ANCIENT AND MODERN NATIONS.
105
— ReprcaenUtioQi of the Banner of St. Denia : No. 1. the oldest, u from a window
Cathedral of Chartrea ; No. 3. tbe latest, id from a Manoscript of Froiseart. No. 2644,
NatiOD&l Library (the ori^al which it npreseota was curitd at the difent of Artevelde at
Bosebecque) ; No. 2, Drawing from the Library of the Cclestiaa, praa«rved by MoutfaoGgD.
St. Martin's standard was succeeded by the famous Auriflamme, or
Oriflamme, of St. Denis, which in turn gave place to the 'Cornette
Blanche.' This sacred banner of Clovis, fabled to have been brought
by an angel to St. Denis, was
originally the banner of the
Abbey of St. Denis, suspended
over the tomb of that saint,
and was presented by the lord
protector of the convent when-
ever it became necessary to
take up arms for the preserva-
2 tion of its rights and posses-
sions. It was made of red silk,
with flames of gold worked in gold thread upon the silk, and was fixed
on a golden spear, in the form of a banner. Its end was cut into
five points, each adorned Avith a tassel of green silk.
Guillaume Guiart, who wrote in 1306, describes it as " a banner
made of silk stronger than guimp of flaring cendal, and that simply
without any figure upon it ; " and adds, that he had recently seen it.
Later, it was powdered with golden flakes of fire, as represented
in the ' Indice Armorial' of Louvain Geliot, 1635, where it is thus
described : —
" L'Oriliambe estoit faite ile sendal,
C'est-a-dire de taffetas ou tissu de soye rouge,
Auciinefois semee de tiammes d'or d'ou elle
Prenoit de nom de oriliambe."^
The Oriflamme was red, — for all the banners of the churches
dedicated to martyrs were red, — and fringed wkh green, the one color
indicating suffering, the other hope. The illustra-
tion, representing Henry of Metz receiving the Ori-
flamme from the hands of St. Denis, is from a
painted window in the church of Notre Dame de
Chatres. Another account ^ says the color of the
Oriflamme was purple, azure, and gold ; the two
colors producing orange were separated in the Ori-
flamme, but united in its name. The Oriflamme
borne at Agincourt was an oblong red flag, split
into five points. Sometimes it bore upon it a
saltire wavy, from the centre of which golden rays
diverued.^
The Oriflamme.
1 Herald and Genealogist, vol. ill. 1866.
2 Fairholt's Dictionary of Terms of Art.
3 Sir Nicholas Harris Nicolas.
KMJ TlIK SV.Ml'.dl.S. SlA.NDAKhS. AND HANNKKS
Tlie Orillainiiie was intrusted liy thu coiuimuuly nl >t. J)eui.s to
the kings of Fiance, \vho -ranked themselves as vassals »»f tlie alilx-y,
as counts oi' the \\'xin.
AVhi'n the kings of France were threatened Mith doubtful wars,
and obliged to have recourse to the oritlaninie, they jjaid their lirst
devotion in the church of Notre Dame of Taris, then repaired to St.
Denis, where, having been solemnly received, they descended, without
hood or girdle, with the oritlamme, to the vaults under A\hich rested
the relics of the saint, and placed the sacred Ijanner on the altar. In
1382, the remains of St. Louis were placed beside those of St. Denis.
The abbot celebrated Mass, and, to heighten the devotion of the king
and his standard-bearer the Count du Yexin, admonislied him of the
request of St. Denis. While the Count was on his knees, Ijareheaded,
and without a girdle, between the king and the aljbot, the kiu'^ re-
ceived the Oriflamme from the abbot, blessed l)y his prayers, and
delivered it over to the custody of the Count du Yexin.
After the earldom of Du Yexin was joined to the crown, under
Louis le Gros, any noble whom the king wished to honor was made
its standard-bearer, who kept it unfurled. Sometimes the king placed
it around his neck, awaiting the encounter of battle, and when it
was unfurled, attached it to the end of a lance. The chosen stand-
ard-bearer, before receiving it, confessed, partook of the euchari.st,
and solemnly vowed to guard it faithfully with his life. The war
ended, the Oriflamme was carried back to St. Denis by the king
himself.
Louis le Gros was the first king who took the Oriflamme to battle,
A.D. 1124,1 and it appeared for the last time at Agincourt, a.d. 1415,^
others say at Monterey, a.d. 1465.
At Bouvines, in 1214, the blue royal flag was carried at the head
of the French knighthood, Avhile the red oriflamme was the standard
of the commoners.
The Oriflamme was borne against the Flemings in the battle
of Pi0.sbecq, 1382, in which Philip van Arteveldt was slain. Says
Froissart : " It w^as a most excellent banner, and had been sent from
heaven with great mystery. It is a sort of gonfanon, and is of much
comfort in the day of battle to those who see it. Proof was made of
its virtues at this time ; for all the morning there was so thick a fog
that with difficulty could they see each other, but the moment the
knight had displayed it, and raised his lance in the air, the fog in-
stantly disappeared." (See illustration of it, p. 105.)
1 Renault. - Du Tillet.
OF ANCIENT AND MODERN NATIONS.
107
In an inventory of the treasury of the church of St. Denis, taken
in 1534, the Oriflamme is described as " a standard of "s^ery thick silk,
divided in the middle like a gonfanon, very frail, fastened around
a stick covered with gilded copper, and a long pointed spear at the
end."
This banner of St. Denis was said to have been destroyed when
the tombs of the kings of France in the abbey were desecrated and
despoiled, at the time of the first French revolution ; but a writer
in 1867 asserts that it " is still suspended from an eminence at the
eastern extremity of the venerable abbey church of St. Denis, beyond
the high altar." The monks of old were in the habit of assuring the
people that this banner was brought to the abbey by an angel, at the
time of the conversion to Christianity of old King Clovis ; and tradi-
tion assigns an age of thirteen hundred and eighty years to this silken
remnant of monastic superstition and imposition.
The cornette blanche, a plain white banner, emblematic of the
purity of the Virgin Mary, succeeded the oriflamme in the fifteenth
century.
The fleur-de-lis, with which it was subsequently powdered, are
supposed to represent the flower of the lily, and may be a rebus
signifying the flower of Louis. Mr. Planche
says that Clovis is the Frankish form of
tlie modern Louis, the C being dropped, as
in Clothaire, which is now written Lothaire,
and Clovis may have assumed the fleur-de-
lis as his rebus, from his favorite clove-pink
or gillyflower.
Ancient heralds tell us that the Franks had
a custom, at the proclamation of their king,
to elevate him upon a shield or target, and
l^lace in his hand a reed or flag in blossom,
instead of a sceptre ; and from thence " the kings of the first and
second race in France are represented with sceptres in their hands,
like the flag with its flower, and which flowers became the armorial
figures of France."
Respecting this device there are many legendary tales : — that a
banner, embroidered with golden fleur-de-lis, came down from heaven ;
that St. Denis personally bestowed the lily as an heraldic device upon
the royal family of France ; that a banner semee of fleur-de-lis was
brought by an angel to King Clovis after his baptism ; and that such
a banner was delivered by an angel to Charlemagne. Such are some
The Bourbon Royal Standard.
1U8 'IIIH SVMI'.nLS. srAM)AIM)S. AM) IJANNKKS
of tlie tales accounting for the origin of the lleur-ilu-hs as the device
of the French royal family, from the time of Clovis to Charles X.^
The Ik'ur-ile-lis was first borne on a royal seal by Louis VII., a.d.
llo7-8(). Edward III. was the first English monarch wlio (quartered
the French lk'ur!;-de-lis on the Great Seal of that kingdom, a.d. 1340,
and they were not removed from the English shield until ISOl.^
Under Philip Augustus, the French banner was white, and semee-
de-lis, that is, strewn with golden lilies; but from tlie time of Charles
YI., A.D. 1380, it invariably consisted of three golden lieurs-de-lis on a
blue field, with a white cross in the middle.^
It is singular that the old English name for the iris, or fleur-de-lis,
is ' flag.' Does the flower derive its name from the standard, or vice
versa ? The lily is an old device, and forms one of the most frequent
decorations of Solomon's Temple, the Hebrew word 'susa' or 'susiana'
being the same. The word ' shushau ' stands for six, ' the perfect num-
ber,' in Hebrew. Two interlaced fleurs-de-lis make the lily, each having
three prominent leaves, or both together, the perfect number. The
name of ' susa ' and its changes are derived from the Hebrew for a lily.
At the coronation of Charles YIL at Eheims, the Oriflamme was
the only royal banner. The white flag was the personal banner of
Jeanne d'Arc.
A French national flag is a modern idea. Under the feudal system,
every lord had his own personal coat of arms.
Sieur de Aubigny, marshal of France, one of the most experienced
commanders in the service of Charles VIII. and Louis XII., as a rela-
tive of James IV., bore the red lion of Scotland on a field argent,
which he caused to be ' semee of buckles,' signifying that he was the
means of holding united the kings of Scotland and France against
England, with the motto, " Di^trmtia jungit" — "It unites the distant."
Charles III., seventh Duke of Bourbon, the celebrated constable,
had displayed near his tomb at Gaeta his great standard of yellow
silk embroidered with flying stags and naked flaming swords, with
the word ' esperance,' in several places ; meaning, he hoped to revenge
himself by fire and sword upon his enemies.
The banner of Piobert de la ]\Iark, the Great Boar of Ardennes, had
a figure of St. Margaret with a dragon at her feet.*
1 Newton's Heraldry.
2 Fairholt's Dictionary ; Recherches sur I'Origine <lu Blason et en particulier sur la
Fleur-de-lis, par M. Adalbert de Beaumont, avec xxii Planches gravees. Paris, 1853.
3 Fairholt's Dictionary.
* Mrs. Bury Palliser's Historic Devices, Badges, and War Cries. London, 1870.
OF ANCIENT AND MODERN NATIONS. 109
A French military author, who served and wrote in the time of
Charles XIV., intending to express the importance of preserving the
colors to the last, observed that, on a defeat taking place, the flag
should serve the ensign as a shroud ; and instances have occurred of
a standard-bearer, who, when mortally wounded, tore the flag from
its staff, and died with it wrapped around his body. Such a circum-
stance is related of Don Sebastian, king of Portugal, at the battle of
Alcaza, and of a young officer named Chatelier, at the taking of
Taillebourg, during the wars of the Huguenots. It also had a parallel
during our civil war.
After the establishment of a permanent militia, every regiment
carried the color of its colonel ; and down to 1789 many of them had
preserved their own particular banners. The white being the royal
color, however, superseded them aU, from the fact that, when Louis
XIV. suppressed the functions of colonel-generals, whose distinctive
sicrn 1 was a white standard, such a standard was retained as an em-
blem of command ; hence it became a sign of the regal power, and
displaced all others. The royal flag was, in reality, the national flag
of the eighteenth century.
As late as 1543, there is a royal order for " all ships in the service
of the king to carry the banners or ensigns of the admiral of France." ^
Annebault, who was admiral of France from 154-3 to 1552, commanded
the fleet which invaded the Channel in 1545, and his arms, gules a
cross vair, were probably worn by French ships. It is probable that
with these were worn the blue flag with the white cross, and others,
provincial and local. There is, notwithstanding all that has been
written, no trace of the white flag as a national ensign before the
time of Henry IV., though it is undoubtedly true a white flag was
borne by Joan of Arc, with a picture of the crucifixion. The Catholic
army wore first red, then green, the color of Lorraine, and after the
murder of the Duke and Cardinal of Guise, black, until the death
of Henry III., when they resumed the green. But the Protestants,
from 1562, wore white, as an emblem of their superior purity, which
they continued when Henry III. joined them, when it became royal.
The principal standard of the League, captured at Ivry, 1590, was
black charged with a crucifix, and the device, " Auspice Christo ; "
but it had green tassels. The royal flag was blue, with golden lilies,
though white was the party color. Everybody knows that the
king —
'' Bound a snow-white plume upon his gallant crest; "
1 Dependens. - De Bouille, Les Drapeaux Francais, p. 221. 1875.
110 Tin-: SYMBOLS, .STANDAKDS, AND UANNEKS
and also that lie cautioned his followers, —
" Auil if my staiidanl-hcaior fall, us fall full well lie may,
For iK'Vor saw I pnimist' yet <if such a hluody fray,
Press where ye see my white i)luine shiue amidst the rauks of war,
Aud he your OriHammi' t<i-day tlic liclinct of Navarre."
The wars of the League aud the battle of Ivry were not naval,
but they mark the introduction of the white Hag, which became from
that time royal aud national, and supplanted the provincial and town
flags, though the old Ijlue flag continued to be worn liy merchant
ships.
j\r. d'Infrevillc, Intendant of Toulon, in IGi),") wrote : " The Saint
Philippe is so richly gilt, that, to be in keeping with such splendor,
she ought to have a new flag of crimson damask, bearing the arms of
France, aud powdered with fleurs-de-lis, and crowned L L's in em-
broidery. The old one, which was made at Paris for the Archbishop
of Bordeaux, twenty-eight years ago, at a cost of 12,000 livres, is torn
away to half its size, and is quite a rag." ^
In 1669, an order was given reducing the chaos of flags to some-
thing like regularity. On the 6th of JSTovember of that year, it was
decreed that " the ensigns at the stern are to be blue, powdered M'ith
yellow fleur-de-lis, with a large white cross in the middle, without
distinction of peace or war, voyage or battle. Merchant ships may
wear the same ensign as our ships of war, with the escutcheon of
their province or town in one of the corners. The pavesades are to
be blue, powdered with yellow fleur-de-lis, bordered with two broad
white bands."
On the 3d of December, by a new order, " the ensigns of the stern
are to be in all cases white." Merchant ships the same, with the
escutcheon as before.^
Thus, under the white flag the French squadron served in the
allied fleet in 1672-73, and all the naval battles for more than a
century. All through the eighteenth century the three squadrons of
the French line of battle were distinguished, — the centre by a white
flag at the main, the van by a blue aud white flag horizontally divided
at the fore, and the rear by a blue flag at the,mizzen. Occasionally
these three flags were worn at the main, subordinate officers wearing
their flags at the appropriate mast ; there being also a particular
instruction which provided, " If the commanders of divisions are not
^ Abraham du Quesne et la Marine de son Temps, par A. Jal, torn. i. p. 350.
2 Du Quesne, par A. Jal, torn, i, p. 588.
OF ANCIENT AND MODERN NATIONS. Ill
general officers, they may carry for distinction a swallow-tailed flag
of the color of the squadron, longer and narrower than a flag of com-
mand, but shorter and broader than a pennant." ^
After the battle off Ushant, M. d'Orvilliers reported that the flag
of the blue division worn on that occasion caused mistake and
confusion, in consequence of two out of the three British admirals
wearing blue flags and ensigns. It was therefore modified by the
reintroduction of the old white cross, which was worn during all
the subsequent events of that war, and especially in the West Indies
against Eodney.^
In the navy, both blue and red w^ere originally hoisted, then blue
alone. Louis XVI. reserved the white flag for his ships of war,
allowing merchant vessels to employ it, coupled with some distinctive
badge. In the eighteenth century, merchant vessels wore the white
flag, and also a blue flag with a white cross. The galleys flew a red
flag.^
The flag of the French admiral, the Due de PenthieAT?e, was the red
flag of the galleys semee of fleur-de-lis, with a Ijlue shield in the
centre of its field, surmounted by a ducal crown, and blazoned with
three golden fleurs-de-lis, — two and one, — the shield supported by
two crossed anchors.*
With the revolution, the spirit of change seized on the flag as on
every thing else. The Xational Assembly, Oct. 24, 1790, decreed that
the tricolor should be adopted by the navy, thus : —
" The flag on the bowsprit (jack) shall be composed of three equal
bands placed vertically ; that next the staff shall be red, the middle
white, and the third blue.
" The flag at the stern shall carry in its upper quarter the jack
above described ; this shall be exactly one-fourth of the flag, and shaU
be surrounded by a narrow band, the half of which shall be red and
the other blue ; the rest of the flag shall be M'hite. This shall be the
same for men-of-war and for merchant sliips.
"The flags of command shall carry in their upper quarters the
three vertical bands, — red, white, blue ; but the rest of the flag shall
be, as heretofore [a curious mistake], red, white, and blue ; the National
Assembly having no desire to change in any way those dispositions
which have been made to distinguish the three squadrons of the fleet."
1 Tactique Xavale, par Le Vicomte Moroques, p. 107.
2 Eey, Histoire du Drapeau, torn. ii. p. 578.
8 M. Desjardins, Recherehes sur les Drapeaux Franoais. Paris, 1874.
* La Croix's Middle Ages.
112 THE SYMliULS, .STANDAKDS, AM > lIAN.NKliS
Oil the lotli of February, 1704, the convention abolLshcd tliis flag,
as savoring of royal tendencies, and decreed : —
"The flag prescribed by the National Assenildy is abolished.
" The national flag shall be formed of the three national colors in
equal Itands, placed vertically, — the hoist being blue, the centre white,
and the fly red."
Such has been the French tricolor ever since, and the French
national flag, except during the reign of Louis XVIII. and Charles X.,
when the white liourbon flag and standard were resumed. In the
picture by Loutherbourg, in the Painted Hall at Greenwich, the French
ships in Lord Howe's action of the 1st of June, 1704, are represented
as wearing the ensign suppressed on the lotli of February preceding, —
either a mistake of the artist, or it may be that tlie fleet sailed ii-om
Brest before new flags could be made for it, and therefore fought under
that flag.
In 1814, on the return of the king, and again in 1815, as we have
said, the tricolor was replaced by the white flag, whidi continued
until the abdication of Charles X., in 1830, when the tricolor was
restored. In 1848, IMarch 5, the Provincial Government, on the flight
of L(juis Philippe, ordered the colors to be blue, red, and Avhite, — the
blue at the staff and white at the fly ; but two days later, the opposi-
tion to it was so strong that the order was cancelled.^ There is no flag
on the ocean so easily distinguished or more beautiful tlian tlie French
tricolor.
The golden eagle of Xapoleoii, on an azure field, surrounded by a
swarm of golden bees, succeeded the white standard and golden fleur-
de-lis, which for so many centuries were identified with the heraldry
and standards of France.^ The first and second republics had no
standard. One of the principal standards borne by the insurgents,
June 20, 1702, was a pair of black breeches, with the inscription,
" Tremhlez, tyrans ! void les sans-culottcs." The standard and arms
of the second empire were the same as those of the first.
The flag of Elba, ^Dresented by X'apoleon to the National Guard of
Elba, 1814, and used by him on his return to France the following
year, is on exhibition in the collection of INIadame Tussaud & Sons,
London. It is composed of tricolored silk, and tlie whole of the
ornaments are elaborately embroidered in silver. The reverse side
has exactly the same ornaments, with the inscription, 'Champs de
1 Tlie notes respecting the French naval flags have been compiled principally from
Laughton's Heraldry of the Sea, 1879.
2 Boutell's Heraldry, Historical and Popular.
OF ANCIENT AND MODERN NATIONS. 113
Mai,' where it was presented by the Emperor to his guards, before
they marched for Waterloo, when it was taken by the Prussians,
and sold by them to an English gentleman, who brought it to
England.^
Pietro Alessandro Garda, the man who, when Napoleon returned
from Elba, hoisted the tricolored flag on the Tuileries while the
palace was still occupied by the Royal Guards, died at Turin, Jan. 11,
1880. He was, after the return from Elba, attached to Napoleon's
staff, and fought at Waterloo. Since then he has been director
of an English mining company in Peru, a volunteer with his friend
Garibaldi, and a gentleman of leisure, living quietly in his own
chateau.
The standard of the first regiment of the old Imperial Guard,
which Napoleon embraced at Fontainebleau in 1814, on taking leave
of the army, was preserved by General Petit, and presented to
King Louis Philippe. It is deposited at the Invalides with the
sword of Austerlitz, presented by General Bertrand. The colors
are much faded by time and service, and are inscribed, " Garde im-
periale V Emjicrenr Na])oUon cm premier regiment cle Grenadiers a
pied, vieille Garde;" on the reverse side is, "Marengo, Austerlitz,
Jena, Eylau, Friedland, TVagram, 3foskiva, Vienne, Berlin, Madrid,
Moscoiv."
The French tricolor is supposed to be a union of the blue banner
of St. Martin, the red banner of St. Denis, and the ' cornette blanche,'
there being evidence that those colors have been regarded as the na-
tional emblem for centuries. Yet the choice of the tricolor as the
emblem of liberty at the time of the Ptevolution was purely acci-
dental. Blue and red, the ancient colors of the city of Paris, were at
first assumed, and the citizens mounted guard in a blue and red cock-
ade ; but the National Guard, which was not unfriendly to the throne,
admitted the white of the Bourbon standard, and tlms reproduced the
tricolor as the standard of the French nation.
A correspondent ^ of London ' Notes and Queries,' which has sev-
eral communications on the origin of the French tricolor, says : " In
1789, after the defection of the French guards, it was determined to
raise a city guard of forty thousand men, each district to contribute
a battalion of eight hundred men. The name of the guard was the
' Parisian Militia ; ' their colors the blue and red of the city, mixed with
the wliite of their friends. This Parisian militia became the National
1 Madame Tussaud's Catalogue.
2 Andrew Steinmetz, vol. vi., 2d series, p. 16-t.
Ill THE SYMI?()I.S. STANDAlins, AND I'.A.NNKHS
CJuaril, and their colors tlie tricolor, from the union or fraternization."
Another correspondent says: " In or aljout loot!, (hnin;,' the caiitivity
of -Tnhn of Fmnce in the Towi'r of Lijmlon, and the regency of the
l)ai4iliin Charles, the states-general of I'aris elfected great changes
in the mode of government. Paris became, in lact, republic, and the
municipality governed the estates, and, in truth, all France. At this
time it was decided that the city of Paris should have colors of its
own, and under the authority of Etienue jMarcel a Hag was selected,
half blue and half red, with an agrafe of silver, and the motto, ' A honne
Jill.'' Shortly after, when Etienne ]\larcel was murdered with sixty
of his followers, the colors of the city were suppressed, and remained
in obscurity until 1780. Upon the accession of Charles V., he erected*
the Bastile St. Antoine on the very spot where Etienne ]\Iarcel had
been slain, as a monument of defiance on the part of the crown against
the capital, which remained for centuries a state prison, and symljol
of despotism. By a singular coincidence, the Bastile was destroyed
on the anniversary of the day upon which the ancient colors of Paris
— the colors of Etienne Marcel — became victorious over royalty.
On that day, July 14, 1789, Lafayette restored the colors of the city
to the people, adding thereto the royal emljlern, white, and thus com-
posed that tricolor which, according to Lafayette's prophetic words,
' Dcvait faire le tour clu monde.^
" At first, the French revolutionists adopted a green cockade, which
was quickly discarded, when it was remembered that it was the
livery of the Counts d'Artois, the most detested of the royal family.
On the night of the 11th of July, after the dismissal of Necker, at
the first meeting of the populace in the Palais Royal, they were
harangued by Camille Desmoulins, who told them 'there was no
resource but to fly to arms, and take a cockade by M'hicli to recognize
each other.' He was rapturously applauded, and, snatching a poplar
leaf from the garden of the Palais Poyal, he held it up before the
excited crowd, and exclaimed, ' What colors will you have ? Cry out !
choose ! "Will you have green, the color of hope ? or the blue of
Ciucinnatus, the color of liberty, of America, and of democracy ? '
The people cried, ' The green, the color of hope ! ' ^
Still another correspondent of ' Notes and Queries ' says, " The tra-
dition in France concerning the adoption of the tricolor is that it was
originally the field of the arms of the Orleans family, which was
made up in fact of the red of the ancient oriflamme, which was gules,
semee of lys, or ; of the arms of Yalois, azure, semee in like manner ;
1 H. r. H.
OF ANCIENT AND MODEEN NATIONS. 115
and of Bourbon, argent, semee of the same. As the Orleans claimed
descent from all three branches, they took for the field of their
escutcheon their three tinctures, and blazoned them, 'tierce in pale
azure, argent, and gules, semee of fleur-de-lis or! The tradition is,
when Philip of Orleans threw himself into the arms of the repub-
licans, and called himself L'lilgalite, he caused the fleur-de-lis to be
erased from the escutcheons which were stuck up in the Palais Ptoyal.
The field being left, it was identified with his name, and by degrees
became the republican flag." ^
The tricolor did not at once replace other emblematic signs. Only
a few of the ninety battalions of the Parisian militia which took part
in the fete of the Confederation combined the three colors, and not
one of them was designed according to the present fashion. The
famous flag of the Twelfth Brigade, which General Bonaparte led
across the bridge of Arcole, was not a tricolor, and the flag of the
Fifth Half Brigade, carried by Augereau, had republican ornaments on
a white ground.
The imperial standard of Napoleon I. was the tricolor, semee of
golden bees, and charged with the eagle of the empire upon the cen-
tral division of the white field.
In the guard-chamber of Windsor Castle, England, suspended over
the marble busts of the Dukes of Marlborough and Wellington, hang
two little French flags of peculiar significance. The one a white flag
of the Bourbons, spotted with fleur-de-lis; the other, the tricolor.
These flags are presented annually, by the Dukes of Marlborough and
Wellington, to the reigning sovereign of Great Britain on the anni-
versaries of the battles of Blenheim and Waterloo, and are the tenure
of service by which the noble dukes hold the estates of 'Blenheim and
Stratfieldsaye, settled on them by Parliament. The banner rendered
by the Duke of Marlborough was formerly suspended in Queen Anne's
closet at Windsor, where she first received intelligence of the victory
of Blenheim.2
When King William IV. was on his death-bed, and awoke on
June 18, he remembered it was the anniversary of tlie battle of
Waterloo, and expressed a pathetic wish to live over that day, even
if he were never to see another sunset. Calling for the flag which
the Duke of Wellington always sent him on that anniversary, he
laid his hand upon the eagle which adorned it, and said he felt
revived by the touch.
The flags and standards taken in battle, which were removed from
1 A. A. - Guide to Windsor.
IIG Tin-: svmi'.kls. standakds. and I'.an.nkiis
the Hotel des Invalides on the approach of the i'russian army in
187U, and phiced in safety at Brest, were in 1871 restored to thoir
old places about tlie tomb of Napoleon I., or in the chajiel. Their
number is luit small, for in 1814 the governor of Les Invalides
ordered the whole collection ttj be Imrnt, to save it from the enemy.
At that time, the chapel alone contained sixteen hundred of these
trophies of the triumphs of Napoleon I.^
On the night of the 30th of March, 1814, all the Ijanners which
hung under the dome of the Invalides Mere taken down, and formed
into a pile in the court-yard; the banners with their lances, surmounted
by Russian, Prussian, and Austrian eagles. Upon them were thrown
other trophies, such as the sword and regal insignia of Frederick the
Great. The ashes of this pile were swept up and thrown into the
Seine. The next day, after the entry of the allies, a Kussian officer
came to seek the banners, and General Darmaud showed him where
they had been, and told him they had been burnt the night pre-
vious.2 It has been said that the ashes of these trophies were thrown
into a cask of wine, and that the veterans drank the mixture to the
health of the Emperor ; and that the sword of Frederick the Great was
concealed in the cupola of the Invalides, and is now in the possession
of a private gentleman.
In 1829, an American ship entering the port of Ha^Te with a
tricolored flag at her masthead was ordered to take it down. Tlie
three colors were not to be displayed in a French port, even as a
signal flag.^
In 1830, the United States government was officially notified " that
the tricolored flag has been ordered to be hoisted on all French ships
of war as well as commerce ; " and in a circular letter dated " Navy
Department, Oct. 22, 1830," United States navy officers were ordered
" to recognize the same as the flag of the French nation, and respect
it accordingly." From that time to the present (1880) — through the
reign of Louis Philippe, King of the French, the second republic, the
second empire, and now the third republic — the tricolor has continued
to be the national ensign of France.
The eagles introduced into the French armies as regimental stand-
ards by Napoleon the Gl'eat, and which were revived by Napoleon III.,
were wrought from pure gold, and had an intrinsic value of about
two thousand dollars. The ribbon attached to them was of silk, five
1 London Times and New York Tribune, Jul}-, 1871.
2 Independence Beige, 1872.
^ Philaduli)liia Saturday Evening Post, August, 1829.
OF ANCIENT AND MODERN NATIONS.
117
A French Eagle.
inches broad, three feet long, and richly embroidered. During the
war of 1870, it was a prize much coveted liy
the soldiers of Iving William's army, who, it
is claimed, captured nearly two hundred of
them in the successive disastrous defeats of the
French.
After that war, the regiments contented them-
selves with provisional flags. On the 2d of June,
1871, the war minister ordered the standards then
in use to be handed o^'er to the artillery, which was
to destroy the silk of the old flags, and send the
eagles and gold fringe to the domain ofiice. In
exchange, small flags without inscriptions Avere
served out provisionally. In 1876, the army
owned only a few Napoleonic eagles, Avith the ' X ' cut out, and some
common woollen flags. In that year, by a decree of
President ]Mc]\Iahon, all of the infantry and cavalry regi-
ments received white, blue, and red silk standards, in
the centre of which, surrounded by a cornette of laurel
and oak leaves, was embroidered the once celebrated
' R. F.' (Republique Francaise). The streamers bore
the name of the regiment, division, and army corps,
and number, also the device, " HonnPAtr et 'potrie."
In June, 1878, the minister of war ordered for the
colors of the infantry, and standards of the cavalry
and artillery, of the French army, a l)lue staff, sur-
mounted by a small rectangular block, like the ped-
estal for the Pioman eagle, bearing on one face the
number and designation of the regiment, and on the
other the letters 'Fi. F.' In place of the imperial
eagle a gilt laurel wreath surmounts this, traversed by
a golden dart. The flag is of silk, with a fringe of
Head of a French gold. The colors Were presented in September, 1878,
standard, 1878. ^^^ ^ great national festival, to the troops composing
the garrison of Paris, and to delegates from the territorial forces.
118 Tin: sYMr.oi.s. stankakks. am> hannkhs
A n loer. lo us*
THF. BO'i'KlJ JiRXS OF EJJChAlW.
lOr.O to 1880.
HICHARD n.
AD 1405 lo 160 J
tY
TF
^
i"^
■WILLIAM in.
V.'ItDAV m * MARY
D. 1707 lo I7lt
A D. 1714 to 1801
AD ISie to 1637
H M. THE QTJEF.N.
OF ANCIENT AND MODERN NATIONS. 119
BEITISH SYMBOLS, STAN"DAEDS, AND FLAGS.
The Standaeds and Banners of Ancient Britain, England, Ire-
land, Scotland, and G-eeat Britain, from the Eoman Con-
quest, AND under the SaXONS, DaNES, AND XOR.MANS, TO THE
Eeign OF Queen Victoria.
Julius Csesar, having, B.C. 55, conquered the southeast of Britain,
sent to the Eoman senate the standards of seven British kings. From
Latin records, traditions, and ancient pictures it is ascertained that
the allied petty kings fought under ensigns exhibiting the figures of
animals abounding in their provinces. The ram, ewe, hind, and
grouse, which abounded in the southeast of the island, were the
typical signs on the standards of that region. The stag, goat, cor-
morant, and the golden eagle of the mountains of Cambria, represented
the southwest. The wolf, beaver, and black eagle were the character-
istics of the northeastern provinces. The wild boar, bear, vulture,
and raven were the symbolic tokens of the woody countries of the
northwest. These badges were represented on targets and quivers,
made of osier twigs covered with white leather, and were hoisted
as ensigns. Such were the primitive standards of the ancient
Britons.
Cacibelan, King of Colchester, B.C. 54, being vanquished by Ctesar,
became tributary to Eome, and presented Cfesar with a brigandine,
or royal coat of arms, ornamented with pearls of the country, which
was sent to Eome and consecrated to Venus. That war-dress, imitated
from the Oriental coat of mail, with scales, exhibited
shells and fishes, a brigantine, a boat, and a beaver, em-
blems of the Brigantes, who also depicted a bear on their
targets. The British pennons, banners, and flags of this
time were of woollen cloth or white leather. Emblems
were also engraven on iron arms and wooden weapons,
as clubs and staves. These last have been the type of a
staff or mace bearing the royal arms, which is still car-
ried by British peace-officers.
A Eoman prefect governed London, a.d. 44, assisted
by a pnetor or judge. These magistrates had over their
Arms of London, tribunal or judgment-seat a Phrygian cap, bearing the
monogram, S. P. Q. E. ; the staff wliich supported the
cap was blue, the color of the Eoman people and army, and purple,
representing the Eoman senate and nobility ; these colors were dis-
120 IlIK SV.MlJdl.S, STAM>Al;i>S. AM) I'.ANNKKS
posed like two twisted viblxins. I'.y imUiii^ on tlie ' lil)eity cap,' the
prefect was empowered to free any slave The 'sword of mercy' and
cliil) of Hercules also figured in the armorial hearings of the city under
the lioman prefects.
The Emperor Trajan, waging war in tlurgistan, a.h. 1)8 to 117, cap-
tured a standard exhibiting a dragon struck down Ly a horseman.
He adopted it as his ensign, and had it hoisted in all the provinces of
his empire. The Georgian chevalier trampling on the dragon was
hence borne on the ensign and on the breast})lates of the Ifoman
officers, and waved on citadels and towns all over Britain. The Em-
peror Valentiuian III., a.d. 42G-440, having recalled his legions from
the south of P.ritain to resist an invasion of barliarians, tlie Saxons
raided upon the southern coasts, and the forlorn liritains armed in
self-defence, and hoisted the standard of Trajan, which they conse-
crated to Albion, the first patronal god of the isle. Thence Alljion
was depicted as a chevalier on a white horse, trampling on the dragon ;
and many cities adopted that badge as an emblem for their fortified
gates.
The Hibernian or Irish harp was adopted by Constance Chlorus
on his return from the conquest of Hibernia, a.d. 301.
The evacuation of the Eomans was followed by the invasion of the
Anglo-Saxons and Jutlanders, a.d. 449, under Hengist, whose brother
Horsa was killed on the field of battle. Horsa had adopted for his
ensign the war-horse of Odin, the northern god of war ; and Hengist
set up the ambling horse of Odin as his standard over a newly con-
quered city, which received the name of Canterbury, and became the
capital of the kingdom of Kent, of which Hengist was the first king.
The horse rampant, an attitude known as the ' canter,' or ' Canterbury
gallop,' has been ever since the ensign of the county of Kent.
The city of Glastonbury, a.d. 408-510, bore the standard of tlie
Eoman dragon, of a red color, allusive to Tor, the god of fire.^
In the Anglo-Saxon poem of 'Boewulf,' supposed to have been
written in the tenth century, we read, " Then to Beowulf he gave a
golden banner." St. Oswald, who fell fighting in defence of Christi-
anity against Penda, Lincolnshire, was buried at Bardney Abbey, a.d.
642, gorgeously enshrined, with a banner of gold and purple, paly
or, bendy, suspended over his remains. The Picts regarded with rev-
erence the banner called Brcchannoch, from its association with St.
Columb, their spiritual father. The keeper of this sacred relic had
lands assigned him for its custody.
1 Brunet's Regal Armorie.
OF ANCIENT AND MODERN NATIONS. 121
Ossian mentions the standard of the kings and chiefs of clans, and
says that the king's was bine, studded with gold, and having on it a
white horse. The Anglo-Saxon ensign was very grand : it had on it
a white horse, as the Danish was distinguished by a raven. William,
the Conqueror sent Harold's standard, captured at the battle of Hast-
ings, which bore the device of a dragon, to the Pope. His own stand-
ard was sumptuously embroidered with gold and precious stones, in
the form of a man fighting. When he sailed for England, the white
banner, consecrated by Pope Alexander II. expressly for the occasion,
was hoisted at the masthead of the ship on which he was embarked.
The device assigned Arthur, the mythic king of Britain in the sixth
century, is azure, — three crowns proper, — and over this the motto,
' Trois en un.' King Arthur's shield forms the centre of the star of
the Bath.
Arthgal, the first Earl of Warwick, is said to have been one of the
knights of the Bound Table. ' Arth,' or ' ISTarth,' signifies a bear, and
one of his descendants is said to have slain a giant who encountered
him, with a tree torn up by the roots ; hence the cognizance of the
'bear and ragged staff,' which is at least as old as the fifteenth
century. The House of Orleans and Dukes of Burgundy bore the
same device.
A particular account of the standards of the successive rulers of
Britain may be found in Sir Winston Churchill's curious work, ' Divi
Brittanici,' also in Brunet's ' Eegal Armorie of Great Britain.'
The origin of the standard of the three saxes or swords of
Essex, A.D. 530, is thus explained : The Roman Empire was invaded
in the second century by a tribe of
Goths wearing a crooked sabre called
' saex,' from which the tribe derived the
name of ' Saxons.' These Saxons con-
quered that part of Germany washed by
the Elbe, which they named ' Saxony.'
Then, uniting with the Jutes and An-
^«^^3^:^S^aHK^^^^^?s» gjgg^ they became powerful pirates or
The Three Saxes or Swords of Essex. sCa-kingS, and COUquered thrCC CautOUS
in Britain, which they erected into kingdoms, named ' South- Sax,'
' East-Sax,' and ' West-Sax,' — that is to say, the Saxons of the south,
east, and west, — whose contractions are Sussex, Essex, and Wessex.
The chiefs or kings of these cantons having formed an alliance, hoisted
a standard bearing three saxes or swords as an emblem of their triple
union and common origin. The three swords of the Saxon standard
122 THE .SYMli(»L.S, .S'lANDAKl*.-, AM) UANNLKS
were damasceued with Gothic hieiu;4lyphics, and iliuir tyi»i.' has been
preserved in the armorial bearings of Ivssex.
Edill'rid, \.i). 5*J2-G1G, a Saxon king of ]5ernicia, in the nortli <>!'
Northumberknd, liad a standard called the 'tufa,' which exhibited a
bear, a Koman emblem of the polestar and the ancient ensign of War-
wick, the capital of Bernicia. The bear was also the device on the
streamer of Bangor, iu AVales.^
The Anglo-Saxons estal)lislied eight kingdoms in I>ritain, l»ut
Edwin, the successor of EdiliVid, united the kingd(jms of Bernicia and
Decia, by the name of the kingdom of Northumberland, and assumed
the title of Bretwalda, or ruler of Britain, as presiding at the Witeu-
agemote, or parliament of the heptarchy. The standard of the Bret-
walda was a bear, which was stamped on a coin that had currency all
over Britain.^ He was the first Christian king of Northumberland,
and, falling in battle, a.d. Oct. 12, 633, was canonized, and became St.
Edwin. Not only in war was his standards (vexilla) borne before
him, but in peace he was preceded by his ' signifier,' and also when he
walked the streets had a standard borne before him which the Eo-
mans called 'tufa,' and the Angles, 'turef,' being a tuft of feathers
affixed to a spear.-
A great battle was fought, a.d. 742, at Burford, in Oxfordshire,
when the golden dragon, the standard of Wessex, was victorious over
Ethelbald, the King of Mercia.
Egbert (a.d. 827-837), King of Wessex, who dissolved the heptai-chy
and temporarily united the seven kingdoms in one, assumed the title
of ' King of the Anglo-Saxons,' and spread the red dragon of Wessex
as the national standard throughout his whole dominion. This re-
puted standard of King Arthur, as dear to the Anglo-Saxons as to the
Britons, became the standard of Winchester, the capital of Egbert's
kingdom.
Among the Saxon kings of England there were two who were re-
XJUted saints : Edmund the Martyr, a.d. 975, and Edward the Confes-
sor, A.D. 1042 ; and these, with St. George, are the three patron saints of
England. The banners of these saints accompanied the English army,
and waved over the fields where the Edwards and Henrys fought.
St. Edmund's banner is considered to have been azure, three
crowns or, two and one, the same as the badge assigned Arthur ; but,
from the description by Lydgate, two banners were appropriated to
him, of which drawings are given in that writer's work, — one of them
that mentioned above.
1 Brunet's Eegal Annorie. ' ^ Stevenson's Notes.
OF ANCIENT AND MODERN NATIONS. 123
" Over he [the kmg] , seyde Lady Hevene Quene,
Myu own bauer, with here shall he."
''This other standard, feeld stable off colour yude,
In which off Gold been notable crownys thre,
The first tokne in cronycle men may fynde
Graunted to hym for Royal dignyte,
And tlie second for virgynyte ;
For martirdam, the thrydde in his suffryng
To these annexyd ffeyth, hope, and charyte,
In tokne he was martyr mayde and kyng.
These thre crownys Kyng Edmund bar certeyn,
Whan he was sent be grace off Goddis bond
At Geynesburnh for to slen Kyng Sweyn."
"By which myracle men may understond
Delyvered was from trybut all thys loud
Mawgre Danys in full notable wyse ;
For the hooly martyr dissolvyd hath that bond,
Set this Region ageyn in his franchise."
" These thre crownys history aly t' aplye. Applieado
By pronostyk nobally sovereyne
To sixte Herry in fygur signefye
How he is born to worthy crownys tweyne,
Off France and England, lynealy t' atteyne
In this lyff beer, afterward in hevene
The thrydde crowne to receyve in certeyne
For his merits above the sterry swene."
The other represented Eve in the Garden of Eden, and the serpent
tempting her.
" The feeld powdered with many hevenly steiTe
And halft' cressantis off gold ful bright and cleer ;
And when that evere he journeyde nyh or ferre,
Ny in the feeld, with hym was this baneer."
** This hooly standard hath power and vertu
To stanche fyres and stoppe tlawmys rede
By mp-acle, and who that kan take heede
God grantyd it hym for a prerogatyff."
" This vei-tuous baner shal kopen and conserve
This loud from enmyes dante ther cruel pryde
Off syxte Herry, the noblesse to preserve
It shaU be borne in werrys by his syde." ^
^ Retrospective Re^-iew, 2d series, vol. 1.
124 illK SYMl'.oLS, STANDAKDS. AND r.ANNKKS
Tlie banners ol' St. Edmund or St. Edward do not occur in any of
the illuminations of the chronicles or other manuscripts in the Brit-
ish ^luseum ; and the only proof of their being used so late as
the reign of Henry V., other than the allusion to the banner (»f St.
Edmund, by Lydgate, who wrote in the reigns of Henry V. and VI.,
are the statements of contemporary chronicders. Le Fevre, Seigneur
de St. Henry, in his account of the battle of Agincourt, informs us
that Henry had five banners ; viz., the banner of the Trinity, the ban-
ner of St. George, the banner of St. Edward, and the banner of his
own arms. This list enumerates but four, the fifth was probably one
of the banners of St. Edmund. The lianner of the Trinity, we infer
from a painting of the arms of the Trinity in Canterbury Cathedral,
was " Guiles an orle and pale, argent, inscribed with the Trinity in
Unity." Lydgate says the fifth banner alluded to by St. Eemy was
that of the Virgin ]\Iary. After enumerating the banners of St. George,
the Trinity, and St. Edward, he adds : " The device on the banner of
St. Edward the Confessor was, without doubt, the cross and martlets,
as they are carved iu stone in Westminster Abbey, where he is
buried, and which Eichard II. impaled with his own, as may be seen
by the banner of that king on the monumental brass of Sir Simon de
Felkrig, his standard-bearer, at Felkrig, in Norfolk." ^ Arms were
invented for Edward the Confessor in the time of Edward I. The
Anglo-Norman heralds were probably guided in their choice by a coin
of that monarch, upon the reverse of which appears a plain cross with
four birds, one in each angle. The arms as then blazoned are azure,
a cross flory, between five martlets or, and formed the standard of St.
Edward as usually displayed by the English monarchs down to the
fifteenth century .^
The Danes, a.d. 1000, under the command of Sweyn, conquered
England, and unfurled their standard of the raven. A black raven
was exhibited on the royal shield and banner on a silver ground.
Canute, King of England and Denmark, having conquered Xorway,
hoisted the Norwegian lion, — a golden lion rampant, with a battle-
axe, represented on an azure shield, strewn with red hearts, and bear-
ing the three crowns of England, Denmark, and Xorway.
Edward the Confessor, on his accession, a.d. 1040, changed the royal
seal bearing a black raven to a white falcon. Tlie king kept a tame
falcon, which was represented on his sceptre, and has since been con-
verted into a dove.
The ensign of Eolla, the first Duke of Normandy, bore a leopard,
^ Boutell's Heraldry. ^ Eetrospective Review, 2d series, vol. i.
OF ANCIENT AND MODERN NATIONS. 125
the emblem of the iSTorthmen. AVhen Maine was annexed to Nor-
mandy, a second leopard was added to the Norman standard, and nn-
furled at Mans, the capital of Maine. AYilliam the Conqueror, in
1066, introduced the two leopards as the royal standard of Britain ;
his personal standard represented a man fighting. The dragon, the
standard of the West Saxons, was Harold's standard at Hastings ; a
winged dragon on a pole is constantly represented near his person on
the Bayeux tapestry. And Eichard I. (Creur de Lion), in 1190, seeing
that no Western nation had adopted the legend and name of St. George
and the dragon, selected it as the type of his intended exploits, and on
his return from the crusade, 1223, instituted the festival of St. George.
Henry III, 1264, at the battle of Lewes, and Edward I., in Wales,
fought under the dragon. It was borne in the battle between Canute
and Edmund Ironsides, 1016. Edward III., also, at the battle of
Cressy, 1346, had a standard " with a dragon of red silk, adorned and
beaten with very fair lilies of gold." And Henry VII.'s standard at
Bosworth, 1485, was a red dragon upon a green and white silk.
The banners of the sovereigns of England, from the Conquest up to
the reign of Queen Elizabeth, bore their family devices, when the last
brilliant relics of the feudal system, the joust, the tournament, and all
their paraphernaha, fell into disuse.
The standard of William Eufus, 1087, bore a young eagle gazing
at the sun, with the motto, " Pcrfcro," — "I endure it."
Pope Urban II., in 1096, proclaimed the first crusade, and gave as
a war-cry, " Dieu le veut," — "God wills it." In that holy war, the
noble crusaders, wearing cuirasses and iron masks, which concealed
their features, adopted various ensigns for recognizance on the field of
battle. These standards, banneroUs, and streamers exhibited suggestive
figures and rebuses for rallying the troops ; and these mottoes or war-
cries from that time became surnames, and, with the devices, Avere
exhibited on the crests of helmets and on various parts of the armor.
Until this century, the Oriental armorial bearings adopted by the na-
tions of Western Europe were only worn by kings, princes, dukes, and
marquises, or displayed upon the fortified gates of cities. On the
return of the first crusaders they were introduced and propagated
among the nobility, clergy, and gentry, who called them family arms.
Thus originated the modern system of heraldry.
Stephen of Blois, grandson of WiUiam the Conqueror by his
daughter Adel, 1135-1154, adopted for his banner the sagittary, an
emblem of hunting, and the ensign of the city of Blois, whence he
derived his title of Count of Blois.
ll'G
nil: s^.Mnoi.s. srAM>Ai;i>s. .\m» 1'.a.\m;i:s
.1- or Ul.Ol.llhr.
Henry II., 1154-118*.», surnaiiiod 'The rianlai^enet,' succeeded Ste-
phen, and adopted the green l>ruoni, or riantc Gnut ("II 'portoit viuj
G-cnnclt cntre deux Plantcs dc Gcncstc"), fur his device. The .sur-
name came from his father, Geoffrey, Count
of Anjou, who, having committed a crime,
punished himself by flagellation with birches
of green broom, and wore a branch of it on
his helmet in sign of his humility and pen-
ance. Henry II. married Eleanor of Guy-
enne, who brouglit him the duchy of that
name. Tlie arms of Bordeaux, its ca])ital,
having a golden lion, that charge was mar-
shalled with the two leopards on the es-
cutcheon of England. From tlie conquest
of Ireland by Henry 11., 1172, up to Henry
\'I1I., the kings of England styled them-
selves ' viceroys of Ireland.'
Eichard I., 1189-1199, bore several devices on his shields and ban-
ners ; viz., a star, probably of Bethlehem, issuing from the horns of a
crescent, in token of his victories over the Turks; a mailed hand
holding a shivered lance, with the motto, " Lahor vivis convcait ; " a
sun or, and two anchors, — motto, " Christo duce." ^ Engaging in the
third crusade, he carried a white Latin cross on his banner. The
Christian nations of Europe, following that crusader, carried either
Grecian, Armenian, or Latin crosses on their banners ; viz., France, a
red cross ; Flanders, a green cross ; Germany, a black cross ; Italy, a
yellow cross. On assuming the title of ' King of Jerusalem,' Eichard
hoisted the banner of the lion of that holy city, — the dormant lion of
Judah, the badge of David and Solomon, kings of Jerusalem from the
tribe of Judah. Thencefortli Eicliard ol)tained the surname of ' Cceur
de Lion,' either for his lion, or his great achievements against the in-
fidels. On the second seal of this king is the first representation of
the three lions or leopards, which from that time have contintied on
the royal arms and banners of England.
In 1838, the tomb of Eichard was discovered in Eouen cathedral.
The recumbent effigy of the king has a dormant lion at his feet. The
armorists of later centuries, ignorant of the Norman leopards, repre-
sented Eichard with three lions passant.
John and Henry III., 1199-1272, bore the star and crescent, and
John was the first to add Doniinus Hibernice to tlie royal titles. AYlien
1 Boutell's Heraldry, and Historical Badges and Devices.
OF A^X^IEXT AND MODERN NATIONS.
127
Isabella, the sister of Henry III., married Frederic II., Emperor of
Germany, the Emperor sent Henry a live leopard in token of the
British armorial bearings, which were still the two leopards of Wil-
liam the Conqueror. Henry III. then altered the standard of his
father John by adding a third leopard, as a device of his imperial
alliance. When, later, Henry
was beaten at Guyenne and
fled to England, the French
made rebuses, in which the
weak monarch was represented
as a retreating leopard. When'
Henry the Third's daughter
Margaret was married to Al-
exander, of Scotland, in 1252,
her robe was embroidered with
three leopards on the front and
three on the back.^
A mandate of Henry III.
to Edward Fitzode, in 1244,
directed him to cause a dragon
to be made in the fashion of a
standard, of red silk, sparkling
all over with gold, the tongue of which should be made to resemble
flaming fire, and appear to be continually moving, and the eyes of
sapphires or other suitable stones, and to place it in the church ot
St. Peter, at Westminster, against the king's coming there ; and the
king being informed of the cost, it should be defrayed.^ Tliis standard
is mentioned in Dart's ' History of AVestminster Abbey.'
That this standard was sometimes sent forth to battle may be pre-
sumed, as it is stated that at the battle of Lewes, 1264, a dragon
standard was borne before King Henry III. ; and at a much earlier
battle, between Edmund Ironside and Canute, it is stated, " Putjis
locus erat inter Draconeni et standarum.^
Edward I., 1272-1307, was the first English monarch who assumed
a rose for his device, a golden rose, stalked proper or vert. When
Eleanor, the wife of Edward I., followed him to the last crusade,
Edward hoisted the three leopards of his father, Henry III., whilst
Margaret, Daughter of Henry III., in her Wedding
Garments, 1252.
1 Bninet, Boutell, Harlean MS., &c. I have a pliotograph of Isabella II., of Spain,
in which her dress is covered with castles and lions.
- Excerpta Historica ; or, Illustrations of English History. London, 1833.
3 Retrospective Review.
128 TllK SYMI'.oLS. SIANhAKDS, AND I'.ANNKHS
Eleauor unfuilod the hauiier of the lion in repose, — an emhleni of
Leon, in Spain, 'wliieli was her Lirtliplace.
The chronicler of Caerlaverock describes the royal banner ol
Edward I. after this characteristic niaiiucr: "On liis l)aniier wciv
three leopards, couraut, of fine g<jld, set on red ; tierce were they,
hanghty and cruel, thus placed to signify that, like them, the kinii
is dreadful to his enemies. Fur his bite is slight t(j none tliat in-
llame his anger; and yet, towards such as seek his iViend>]ii]) or suli-
mit to his power, his kindness is soon rekindled." ^
The royal banners of England, from the time of Edward, have borne
the same blazonry as the royal shield. Edward III. placed on his
(standards his quartered shield at their
bszs^^ar-r— — _ head, and powdered them with fleur-
de-lis and lions. Drawings of many
of these banners and standards are
preserved in Herald's College. The
English sovereigns, in addition to the
banner of their royal arms, used ban-
ners and standards charged Avith their
badges. The royal banner f»f arms
charged their insignia upon the entire
standard of Edward III.. 1337. fiekrwitliout accessories, uutll the time
of the Stuarts, when the arms were sometimes associated with other
devices, or the flag bore the entire royal achievement charged upon
the centre of its field. Examples of royal standards thus emblazoned
appear in the pictures at Hampton Court, representing the embarka-
tion of Charles II., in 1660, and of William III., in 1688. Of late
years the royal standard is a square flag, blazoned with the arms of
the United Kingdom over the whole field.
Edward III., 1327-1377, bore silver clouds proper, with descend-
iuo- rays; also a blue boar, with his tusks and his 'clies' and his
members of gold. He was the first monarch that used the English
vernacular dialect in a motto. His standard, as given by Sir Charles
Barker, is the lion of Eugland in a field semee of rising suns and
crowns ; motto, " I)icu ct moii droit."
He first quartered the fleur-de-lis of France, 1337, with the three
leopards of England, and for the first time the lion passant gardant
bearing a crown as a crest, as it is continued on the royal standard
and arms. His standard erected at Cressy was of red silk embroid-
ered with lilies of gold. When Edward III. did homage to Philip YL,
1 Sie^'e of Caerlaverock.
OF A^X1EXT AND MODERN NATIONS. 129
of France, at Amiens, 1329, for the dukedom of Guyenne, he wore
a robe of crimson velvet, with three leopards embroidered in gold
and silver. The King of France wore a blue robe. When Edward
assumed the title of ' King of France,' he wore a robe and mantle of
blue, and created a j)ursuivant or herald, called ' manteau Ueu' or
blue mantle.
It is a matter of familiar history that Edward III., on laying claim
to the French crown, quartered the French lilies with the English
lions ; and that, from some affectation which we may wonder at but
cannot interpret, he placed the lilies in the first, or honorable, quarter.
That the lions were heraldically put in the secondary place is certain.
Macaulay has elegantly interpreted the position thus : —
" Look how the lion of the sea lifts up his ancient crown,
And underneath his deadly paw treads the gay lilies down.
So stalked he when he turned to flight, on that famed Picard field,
Bohemia's plume, Genoa's bow, and Caesar's eagle shield ;
So glared he when, at Agincourt, in wrath he turned to bay.
And crushed and torn beneath liis claws the princely liunters lay."
Edward the Black Prince bore for his device "a sunne arysing
out of the cloudes, betokening that, although his noble courage and
princely valour had hitherto been hid and obscured from the world,
now he was arysing to glory and honnor in France."
The cherished and popular belief is that the crest and motto of the
Prince of Wales was won by the Black Prince at Cressy.
*' There lay the trophy of our chivalry
Plumed of his ostrich feathers, which the Prince
Took as the ensign of his victory,
Which he did after weare, and ever since
The Prince of Wales doth that achievement beare,
WMch Edward first did win by conquest there." '■
" From the Bohemian crown the plume he wears,
Which after for his credit he did preserve
To his father's use, with this fit word, ' I serve.'' " ^
But this tradition is not supported by history, for the crest of the
blind King of Bohemia was not a plume of ostrich feathers, but the
wings of a vulture expanded. On the other hand, an ostrich feather
argent, its pen gules, was one of the badges of Edward III., and
was, with slight difference, adopted by the Black Prince, and by all
his sons and their descendants. The Black Prince used sometimes
three feathers, sometimes one argent. His brother, John of Gaunt,
1 Alleyue. 2 i3eu Jonson.
9
130 THE SV.Ml'.oI.S. STANDARDS. AND I'.ANNKKS
three or one ermine, the stems vr, on a sal)le grouml. A single
feather was worn by liis brother, Thomas of Gloucester, and by their
nephews, Edward, Duke of York, and Kichard,
I )uke of Cambridge. It is more than likely that
l-Mward I. adopted this crest at the battle of
Poitiers, joining to the family badge the old
En;_;lislv word, ledcn (Theyn), / serve, in accord
with the words of the Apostle, "the heir, Avliile
^^^*^-5!yiJ~' he is a child, differeth nothing from a servant."
Crest of ua. Black rrinco. rp,^^ teatlicrs are placed separately upon the
tomb of the Black Prince, in Canterbury Cathedral. Tliis I'eatlier
badge was also used by Piichard II. and by Henry IV., before and
after he came to the throne ; by his brother Humphrey, the good
Duke of Gloucester, and all the members of the Beaufort branch.
Henry VI. bore two feathers in saltire. Three or one was adopted
as a cognizance by his son, Prince Edward, and was worn by Warwick
at the battle of Bar net. ^
In 1344, during the reign of Edward III., the order of the Garter
was instituted, but was not fully organized, nor were its knight com-
panions chosen, until 1350. The companions were twenty-five, the
sovereign making the twenty-sixth, witli authority to nominate the
others. At first, the (jueen and the wives of the knights shared
the honors of the fraternity, and were called ' Dame dc la Fraternity
dc St. George,' wearing robes and hoods adorned with the garter.
Charles I. attempted to revive this usage, but was unsuccessful. The
original number of knights remained unchanged until 1786. In that
year a statute was passed fixing the number at twenty-six, exclusive
of the princes of the royal family or illustrious foreigners on whom
the order might be conferred. The Prince of Wales, having been a
knight of the original institution, is reckoned among the twenty-
six companions. From time to time special statutes have admitted
foreign sovereigns. Extra knights have also been admitted by stat-
ute. The meetings are held on St. George's day (April 23),^ in St.
George's Chapel, Windsor, where installations take place, and the
banners of the knights are suspended.
The motto adopted for this order, " Honi soit qui mal y pense,"
Edward III. placed upon a scroll at the top of his standard, and it
1 Boutell's Heraldry ; Hist. Badges and Devices ; Ellis's Heraldry ; The Retrospective
Review ; Bninet's Kegal Amiorie.
2 The 23d of April is otlierwise noted as the anniversaries of tlie birtli of Shakspeare
and of his death.
OF ANCIENT AND MODERN NATIONS. 131
has since remained upon the scroll of the British shield, as well as on
the garter of the sovereign, and of the knights of the order.
Eichard II., son of Edward the Black Prince, 1377-1399, adopted
a white hind, couchant on a mount, under a tree proper, the banner of
his mother, Joan, surnamed the Fair Maid of Kent, which appertained
to her arms previous to her marriage.
After the suppression of the insurrection led by Wat Tyler, King
Eichard changed the hind into a white hart, gorged with a royal
crown around his neck, ornamented with the fleur-de-lis of France,
and a loose golden chain. On the marriage of Eichard with Anne of
Luxemburg, all the royal plate of England was engraved wath this
device. In 1396, on his second marriage, with Isabella of France, he
adopted a lion and a hart as supporters of the royal shield, and he
is the first monarch whose suj)porters are authenticated, — a golden
lion gardant stood on the right hand, a silver hart affronte, on the left
of the shield, with horns and hoofs or, bearing a crown around its
neck, and a golden chain hanging down. The three leopards were
also then changed into three lions Uoparde, or spotted. Eichard' s
standard was a hart with two suns. He also used as supporters to
his own arms two angels blowing trumpets.
Henry IV., of Bolingbroke and Lancaster, 1399-1413, introduced
the red rose of Edmund of Lancaster, whose daughter was his mother,
and which became ever after the
badge of the Lancastrians, as opposed
to the white rose of York. The red
rose of Lancaster was blessed by the
Primate of England when he anointed
Henry IV. with the holy oil from the
sacred ampulla. He also had for cog-
Standartl of Henry IV., of Bolingbroke nizanCCS the antclopC aud the silvcr
and Lancaster. g^^.^j^g ^f ^Y\q Dq Bohuus. The Stand-
ard of Henry IV. of England had a swan and a large rose, the field
semee of foxtails, stocks of trees, and red roses, per fesse argent and
azure, the livery colors of the Lancastrians having at the head the red
cross of St. George on a white field.
Henry V, 1413-1422, had for devices an antelope or, armed, crowned,
spotted, and horned with gold, a red rose, and a silver swan. His sup-
porters were a lion and antelope, — an antelope argent being substi-
tuted for the wdiite hart, as a companion to the lion of Aquetain. His
standard, exhibiting the antelope gorged with a crown and a golden
chain pendant, was carried at the battle of Agincourt, in 1415.
132 THE SYMBOLS, STANDARDS, AM) liANNKKS
"NVlien Ileiiiy V. entered the lists against Mowbray, Uuke of Nor-
folk, his caparisons were embroidered with the antelope and swan ;
Henry's antelope appeared also at his interview A\iih King Charles at
Melun.
" The king of England had a large tente of bhie velvet and green,
richly embroidered with two devices : the one was an antelope draw-
ing in a horse mill ; the other was an antelope sitting on a high stage
with a branch of olife in his mouth, and the tente was replenished and
decked with this poysie : " —
^'^ After husie laboure commith victorious reste.^'
He also used, at times, a beacon or cresset, a fleur-de-lis crowned,
and a fox's tail. When Henry V. made his entry into Ilouen, a page
carried behind him, in guise of a banner, a fox's tail attached ; and
when presented to Katherine he wore in his helmet a fox's tail orna-
mented with precious stones. After the victory of Agiucourt he
assumed the motto, " Non nobis, domind' '^
After his marriage with Katherine, daughter of Charles YL, of
France, Henry V. assumed the title of ' King of France,' and hoisted
the French standard, — a blue flag in imitation of the Oriflamme,
strewed with fleur-de-lis of gold, bearing in the middle a cross of
scarlet cloth.
In later times, the Oriflamme of England was stripped of its golden
fleur-de-lis, but the blue flag with a red Latin cross was preserved as
the flag of the British nation.^
The accession of Henry V. was remarkaljle for the revival of the
Knights of the Bath, when the knights attending the king at the
Tower of London bathed themselves in the Thames M'ith great solem-
nity, and were afterwards arrayed in a white garment, as an emblem of
their revived innocence.
Henry VI., 1422-1461, was anointed and crowned at Paris when
only nine years old. His badges, devices, and supporters were the
same as his predecessor's. On his banner were antelopes and roses.
He was the first sovereign to use the motto, "Dim et mon Droit."
He also had for his devices a panther passant gardant argent,
spotted with many colors, with vapor issuing from his mouth and
ears, and two feathers in saltires, the sinister argent surmounted by
the dexter or.
According to historic traditions, the vjhite and red Roses of York
and Lancaster — " the fatal colors of our striving houses " — were first
1 Harlean MSS. 2 Brunet.
OF ANCIENT AND MODERN NATIONS.
133
chosen during the momentous dispute about 1450, bet^veen Somerset
and the Earl of Warwick, in the Temple garden, when Somerset,
to collect the suffrage of the bystanders, jDlucked a red rose, and
Warwick a white rose, and each called upon every man present
to declare his party by taking a rose of the color chosen by him
whose cause he favored. This was the prologue to the great national
tragedy which ended in the extinction of the royal line and name of
Plantagenet.
" This brawl to-day,
G-rown to this faction in the Temple garden,
Shall send, between the red rose and the white,
A thousand souls to death and deathly night."
King Henry VI., Part I. Act ii. so. 4.
But the roses were only renewed. Both Edw^ard I. and his brother
Edmund of Lancaster wore the red rose, which was taken by John of
Gaunt on his marriage with Blanche, the heiress of Lancaster. When
John of Gaunt adopted the red rose, his younger brother, Edmund
Langley, Duke of York, assumed the white (derived from the Castle of
Clifford), which he transmitted to his descendants, the House of York.
Mr. Planche inclines to derive the rose originally from Eleanor of
Provence, queen of Henry III.
Edward IV., 1461-1483, adopted for his badge a white lion and a
white rose, supported by a lion and a bull. The sun in splendor and
standard of Edward the Fourth.
sable buU was another of his devices. He also placed the white rose
en soldi on his standard in commemoration of his victory at the
battle of Mortimer's Cross, 1471, when, before the battle, it is said,
the sun appeared to Edward, then Earl of March, " like three suns,
and suddenly it joyned altogether in one ; for which cause some
imagyne that he gave the sun in its fuU brightness for his badge or
comizance."
134 Tin: SY.MIJoLS. STANDARDS, AND 15ANNEKS
■' Ei)WAKi>. — Dazzlf iniiio eyes, <»r do I soo throo suns?
KiciiAKD. — Tlin'c gloriuus suus, each uuc ii iierfcct sun;
Not separated with the rackini; oUnids,
But sevur'd iti a pale clear-shining sky.
Sec, see ! they join, embrace, and seem to kiss.
As if they vow'd some league iuviolahlo:
Now are they but one lamp, tnie light, one sun !
In this the heaven figures some event.
Edward. — 'Tis wondrous strange ; tlie like yet never heard of.
I think it cites us, brother, to the field ;
That we, the sons of brave Plantagenet,
Each one already blazing by our meeds.
Should, notwithstanding, join our lights together,
And overshiue the earth, as this the world.
Whate'er it bodes, henceforward will I bear
Upon my target tliree fair shining suns."
Henry VI., Part III. Act ii. sc. 1.
The honor of bearing Edward IV.'s standard at the battle of Tow-
ton devolved upon Ealph Vestynden, afterwards first yeoman of the
chamber, who had, for his services at the battle, an annuity of ten
pounds granted to him, " yerely, unto the tyme he be rewarded by us
of an office." Edward's standard at that battle was " the bull sable,
corned and trooped or." It was used by him on other occasions, and
others of the House of York, being the cognizance or device of the Clares
(Earls of Gloucester), from whom the House of York was descended.
In 1378, Edmund, Earl of Cambridge, fourth son of Edward III.,
on being created Duke of York by his nephew, Pdchard II., assumed
the badge of a fetter-lock, shut, bearing a falcon within it, emblematic
of the succession to the crown, whicli was locked up from all hope
to him. Edward IV., of the race of York, unlocked this golden fetter-
lock, and in 1474 gave this badge, unlocked and open, to his second
son, liichard, Duke of York, implying the hope of succession open to
his posterity. There is a description of three standards of Edward IV.
in 'Excerpta Historica,' taken from a manuscript in the College of
Arms, marked as compiled between the years 1510 and 1525.
Ptichard III., 1483-1485, had for his standard at the battle of
Bosworth a dun cow. Having a blue boar in his coat of arms when
he was Duke of Gloucester, he introduced it as a supporter of the
royal shield, but changed it into a white one. This boar argent,
with the bristles and hoofs or, was placed on the left side, opposite
the lion gardant. The other charges of his escutcheon, when king,
were the three leopards, the fleur-de-lis, and the white rose, rayonnee
of the House of York.
OF ANCIENT AND MODERN NATIONS. 135
Henry VII., 1485-1509. Eichard III. having been killed at
Bosworth, in the fourteenth battle between the two roses, Henry-
Tudor, of the Lancastrian race, the conqueror, was proclaimed king,
by the name of Henry VII. He married his cousin Elizabeth, of York,
the daughter of Edward IV, and by this union the two rival parties
became reconciled and the roses imited. In the marriage procession,
each partisan of the Lancastrian house gave his hand to a lady of the
York party, holding a bouquet of two roses, red and white, entwined.
Henry VII. introduced into his arms a branch of hawthorn, allusive
to the battle of Bosworth, where the crown of Eichard III. was found
on a hawthorn bush. On the birth of Prince Henry, subsequently
Henry VIII., the armorists composed a rose of two colors (the leaves
alternately red and white), as an emblematical offspring of the mar-
riage. Horticulturists also forced nature into an act of loyalty, and
produced the party-colored flower known to the j)resent day as the
rose of York and Lancaster.
Hutton says, Henry VII., after the battle of Bosworth, offered at
St. Paul's three standards. The first, and chief, bore the figure of St.
George ; the second, a red dragon on white and green sarcenet ; and
the third, a dun cow upon yellow tartan, — and erected them in the
church; also, that Henry VII.'s standard at Bosworth was a red
dragon upon green and white silk, — the red dragon of Cadwallader,
"Eed dragon, dreadful.^' Henry claimed an uninterrupted descent
from Arthur, Uther, and Caradoc, the aboriginal princes of Britain.
His grandfather, Owen Tudor, bore a dragon for his device, in proof
of his descent from Cadwallader, the last British prince and first king
of Wales, A.D. 678. The dragon being Henry's, it is reasonable to
consider the other two were Eichard's standards. Henry VII. also
carried for his badge a portcullis, and the red and white roses com-
bined, emblematic of the union of the rival houses.
Henry VIIL, 1509-1547, and Edward VL, 1547-1553, used the
same cognizances. The former sometimes displayed a greyhound
courant and collared, and at others, after the siege of Boulogne, a white
swan, the arms of that city. Mary, 1553-1558, before her accession,
adopted the red and white roses, but added a pomegranate, to show
her descent from Spain. On assuming the sceptre, she took " winged
time drawing truth out of a pit," with this motto, " Veritas temjwris
Jilia." The eagle and lion were her supporters. The badges of ' good '
Queen Bess were the white and red roses, the fleur-de-lis, and Irish
harp, all ensigned by the royal crown, to which James I., 1G03, added
the Scotch thistle. Elizabeth had for her supporters a lion and a
i;;(j
THE SV.MlloLS. SIANDAKDS, AND ILVNNKK.S
di-a^on, and James I., 160o-1025, took for his the lion and unicorn,
^\•hit■h have continued the supporters of the royal arms ever since.
At the P'ield of the Cloth of Gold,
1~)'20, the front of the tent of
Henry VIII. was adorned with
the gi^fantic figure (tf an English
archer, hearing this motto, in
Latin, "He prrrails vliom 1 favor','
suggestive of the purpose of the
interview. It was called the ' Field
of the Cloth of Gold ' on account
of the numerous tents being or-
namented with armorial bearings
and banners of cloth of gold. Our
illustration of Henry YIII.'s stand-
ard at the siege of Boulogne, 1544,
standards of Heury VIII. i« ^om a coarsc painting pre-
From the picture of his embarkation at Dover Castle served at Cowdry, ill SuSSeX, the
for the Field of Cloth of Gold. 1520. , „_ -_,. ^ ^^ ,
seat 01 Lord Viscount JNIontague.
The city of Boulogne having been restored to France in 1550, the
swan was erased from the British arms ; but the badge has continued
a popular sign in England.
Henry VIII. was the first
English monarch who took
the title of ' King of Ire-
land,' ir.Oli.
The following interesting
description of royal stand-
ards is from a manuscript,
A.D. 1500, in the College of
Heralds : —
Edwakd III. — The cross
of St. George. Per fess azure
and fjvlcs. A lion of Eng-
land imperially crowned, in
chief a coronet of crosses,
pate, and fleurs-de-lis, between two clouds irradiated proper ; and in
base a cloud bet\\-een two coronets, — Dieu et Mon. In chief a
coronet, and in base an irradiated cloud, — Dkoyt. Quarterly, 1 and
4 an irradiated cloud, 2 and 3 a coronet.
EiciiARD II. — Tlie cross of St. George, argent and vert ; a hart
Standard of Henry VIII. at the Siege of Boulogne, 1544.
OF ANCIENT AND MODERN NATIONS. 137
lodged argent, attired, iinguled, ducally gorged aud chained or, be-
tween four suns in splendor, — Dieu et Mon. Two suns in splendor,
— Droyt. Four suns in splendor.
Henry V. — The cross of St. George, argent and azure. A swan with
wings displayed argent, beaked gules, membered sahlc, ducally gorged
and chained or; between three stumps of trees, one in dexter chief, and
two in base of the last, — Dieu et Mon. Two stumps of trees in pale
or, — Droyt. Five stumps of trees, three in chief and two in base.
Another of Henry V. — The cross of St. George, argent and azure ;
an heraldic antelope at gage argent, maned, tufted, ducally gorged, and
chained or ; chain reflexed over the back, between four roses gules,
— Dieu et Mon. Two roses in pale gules, — Droyt. Five roses in
saltire gules.
Edward IV. (see illustration i). — The cross of St. George. Per fess
azure and gules ; a lion of England imperially crowned, between three
roses gules in chief, and as many argent in base, barbed, seeded, and irra-
diated or, — Dieu et Mon. In chief a rose gules, and in base another
argent, — Droyt. In chief two roses gules, and in base as many argent.
Henry VII. — The cross of St. George, argent and vert ; a dragon
gules, between two roses of the last in chief, and three in base argent,
— Dieu et Mon. A rose gules in chief, and another argent in base,
— Droit. In chief three roses gules, and in base two argent. On
another standard of Henry VII. appears a greyhound courant argent,
collared gules ; the wliole being semee of Tudor roses, portcullis, and
fleurs-de-lis or.^
Mary Stuart, 1559-1587, the only child of James V., of Scot-
land, and Mary de Guise, claimed the crown of England in right of
her grandmother, Margaret, eldest daughter of Henry VII., of Eng-
land, and wife of James IV., of Scotland. Assuming the title of
Queen of England, France, and Scotland, she marshalled the arms of
the three kingdoms, and exhibited it on her banners, furniture, equi-
page, and liveries.
Ja-AIES I., son-of Mary Stuart, 1603, on his accession to the throne
of England, discontinued the Norman leopards, considering them a
badge of slavery under the Norman race, and substituted three golden
lions passant gardant on the British shield and banner, and intro-
duced the royal unicorn of Scotland, " argent, gorged with a golden
1 Ante, p. 1.33.
2 See also ' Excerpta Historica ' for a description of the standards borne in tlie field
by peers and knights in the reign of Henry VI 1 1., from a manuscript in the College of
Arms, I. 2, compiled between the years 1510-1525.
lo.S THE SVMUULS, .STANDAIJDS, AM) KANNKKS
coronet bearini,' Ueurs-de-lis ;ind crosses patees, to which was appended
a loose j^folden cliain," us a companion to the English lion, suppcirting
the shield of Crreat Britain. The standard of the unicorn, introduced
to Britain by the Anglo-Saxons, had Ijeen brought into Scotland Ijy
the English driven irom England by "William the Conqueror. The
red lion ramjjant of Scotland was also marshalled by James I. on the
left (juarter of the British shii'ld.
The Commonwealth, 1648-1G58. — After the execution of Charles
I., the royal arms were defaced, the standard altered, and the ancient
mottoes superseded by a maxim setting ibrlh the supremacy of the
people. The national seal, six inches in diameter, represented the
House of Commons sitting, with the speaker in the cliair, encircled
by this legend, " The first year of freedom, by God's blessing, restored,
1C4S." On the reverse was a map of England and Ireland, the sea
studded with ships. The flag of England bore the British cross, also
that of Ireland, and the national harp of that country.
Oliver Cromwell, being proclaimed Lord Protector of the Republic,
1653, had his family arms marshalled with those of the national govern-
ment ; viz., a lion rampant on a shield, supported on the right side by
a crowned lion, and on the left by a gryphon, with a crowned lion sta-
tant for a crest. His motto was "Pax quccritur Bcllo." After his victory
over the Scotch and English royalists at Worcester, having annexed
Scotland as a conc^uered province to England, he added the cross of
St. Andrew to the badges of the republic. After the death of Crom-
well, and the resignation of his son Eichard, the Commonwealth added
as supporters to the republican shield two angels, — the ' conductor '
angel of Britannia, and the ' guardian ' angel of the land, — holding a
laurel crow^n over the shield, and bearing in the other hand a palm
branch and a branch of laurel.^
The Jlcif/ of the Commonwealth was azure; in fess a double shield,
that is, two shields conjoined, like those on the front of the public
acts of the Commonwealth or, the first being argent ; a cross gules for
England, the other l:)eing azure; the harp or, stringed argent; these
within a label or scroll, like a horseshoe, but forming three folds
argent, in Roman letters sahle, " Floreat — RES : Pvblica ; " without
this two branches of laurel, stalked and slipped or, leaved vo^t, and
placed in like form as the scroll, fringed or and azure? The standards
displayed at the funeral of the Protector afford a curious example
of republican armory.^
1 Brunet's Eegal Armoiie. 2 ggg Prestwick's Respublica.
^ See illustration, ante, p. 17.
OF ANCIENT AND MODERN NATIONS. 139
The great banner of the States, called ' the Union,' as displayed at
the funeral of Oliver Cromwell, was parted per pale gules and azure,
having in the dexter chief points the Eoman letter ' 0/ and in the
sinister chief point the Eoman letter 'P,' in gold, — that is, for 'Oli-
ver, Protector ; ' between these letters, in middle chief, an imperial
crown of gold proper, beautified with lilies, roses, and crosses pattee ;
under the above, a royal mantle of estate displayed, being ermine and
gold, with tassels of gold, and thereon two shields of the arms of the
Commonwealth, — one for England, the other for Scotland; viz., first
shield argent, a cross gules, for St. George of England ; second, azure, a
saltire cross argent, for St. Andrew of Scotland ; beneath the mantle,
or in base, a scroll of silver, and thereon, in Eoman letters of gold, the
motto : " Pax Qv.eritvr Bello."
The great tanner of the States or Commonwealth, displayed at the
same funeral, was quarterly, the four banners of England, Scotland,
Ireland, and Wales ; viz., first and fourth, argent, a cross gules, for
England and Wales ; second, azure, a saltire argent, for Scotland ; and
third, azure, a harp or, stringed argent, for Ireland. Over all, in fess,
in an escutcheon of pretence sahle, a lion rampant argent, for the name
and family of Cromwell.^
The admiral's flag, during the Commonwealth, was the cross and
harp. Off Portland, on the 1st of February, 1653, Blake, on board the
Triumph, carried the cross and harp at the main ; Monk, who was
admiral of the white division, at the fore ; and Penn, who commanded
the blue division, at the mizzen.
The Covenanter's hanner, of Scotland, was first imfurled in 1638,
and was displayed at the battle of Drumclog, 1679, and at Both well
bridge the same year. This old emblem is cherished with peculiar
reverence by the Scotch people. One of these banners is preserved
by the Antiquarian Society of Edinburgh, and another is shown at the
Mareschal's College, at Aberdeen. It is of white silk, with the motto,
" Si^e expecto," in red letters, and underneath, in English, "For Be-
ligion. King, and Kingdom.'" The banner is much torn, but otherwise
in good preservation.
" The limbs that fought, the hearts that swelled, are crumbled into dust,
But that frail silken flag, for which and under which they fought,
Survives, a tattered, senseless thing, to meet the curious eye.
And wake a momentary dream of hopes and days gone by." "^
1 Prestwick's Respublica. See also illustration, ante, p. 17.
2 New Monthly Magazine.
140 'nil-: SYMBOLS, siandakds. and kannkks
At the tercentennial celeliration of rre«l)yterianisni, in IMiiladel-
pliia, Nov. 20, 1S72, at the rear of the pnlpit of the Seventh I'resby-
terian Church was displayed the American Hag crossed with the
Coveuautei*s' Hag of blue silk, with a red cross of St. Andrew, and tlie
motto, " Covenants, Jiilii/ion, King, and Kingdoni." ^
The Covenanters' blue banner has been suggested as tlie pcjssible
origin of the blue field in tlie union of our stars and stripe.s.
The Blue Blanlei. — This ancient standard, the banner (jf the Edin-
burgh craftsmen, and ])robably the origin of the blue banner of the
Covenanters, is still held in great honor and reverence by the burgliers
of Edinburgh. It was presented to the trades of Ediid)urgh by
James III., of Scotland, in 1483, " as a perpetual rcmendjrance of
their loyalty, and having power to display the same in defence of
their king, country, and their own rights." It was borne by the
craftsmen at the battle of Flodden, 1513, and displayed for the pur-
pose of assembling the incorporated trades to protect Queen IMary,
after her surrender to the confederated states at Carberry Hill. It
was brought out on the occasion of the rescue of James VI. from
a rabble that assailed him in the old Tolbooth. I'ennycriek's his-
tory of it, published in 1722, was reprinted, with plates, in 1826. A
handsome carved oak case, in which to preserve it, was, in 1869 or 1870,
presented to the convener of the incorjDorated trades of Edinburgh.^
William III.'s standard, hoisted on board the frigate Brill, Oct. 16,
1688, when about to embark for England, displayed the arms of
Nassau quartered with those of England. The motto, embroidered in
letters three feet long, was happily chosen. The House of Orange
had long used the elliptical device, " I will maintain." The ellipsis
was now filled with words of high import, — " The liberties of Emjland
and the Protestant religion." ^ He landed at Torbay from the ship
bearing this flag, Sunday, Nov. 4, 1688, auspiciously the anniversary
both of his birth and his marriage.
The battle of Caton Moor, or Northallerton, fought Aug. 22, 1138,
is called the 'battle of the standard,' because the English barons
rallied around a sacred stand, constructed of a ship's mast, fixed on
a four-wheeled vehicle, bearing the banners of St. Peter of York,
St. John of Beverly, and St. Wilfrid of llipon, and surmounted by a
pyx containing a consecrated host. This standard was brought forth
by the Archbishop of York when the English were hotly pressed by
the invaders headed by King David.
1 The Philadelphia Press. ^ Xotes and Queries, 4th series, vol. vi., October, 1870.
8 Macaulay's England.
OF ANCIENT AND MODERN NATIONS. 141
A particular and minute account of the banner or standard of St.
Cuthbert of Durham, made in 1346, has been preserved in a little
volume entitled ' The Antient Kites and Monuments of the Monas-
tical and Cathedral Church of Durham, 1672.' It contained a relic
of the saint, which was thought to endow it with peculiar sanctity
and power. This banner, a yard broad and five quarters deep, was
of red velvet, embroidered and wrought with flowers of green silk
and gold, the nether part of it indented in five parts and fringed with
red silk and gold. " In the midst of the banner cloth was the cor-
porax cloth, with which St. Cuthbert in his lifetime had been used
to cover the chalice when he said mass. This corporax cloth was
covered over with white velvet, half a yard square every w^ay, having
a red cross of red velvet on both sides over the same holy relique,
most cunningly and artificially compiled and framed, being finely
fringed about the skirts and edges with fringe of red silk and gold,
and three little silver bells fastened to the skirts of said banner cloth
like unto sacring bells." The bearer of this banner had faith it was
never carried or shown in any battle, but, by the especial grace of
God Almighty and the mediation of holy St. Cuthbert, it brought
home the victory.
After the Eeformation, St. Cuthbert's banner fell into the hands
of Whittingham, who was made the Dean of Durham, and his wife,
a Frenchwoman, is reported to have burned it.^
In the Middle Ages, the English standard was not a square flag,
like the modern standard, which is rightly a banner, but was elongated,
like the guydon and pennon, but much larger, becoming narrow and
rounded at the end, which was slit, unless the standard belonged to
a prince of the blood royal.
The size of the standard was regulated by the rank of the person
whose arms or device it bore.^ The English standards were generally
divided into three portions, one containing the arms of the nobleman,
next his cognizance or badge, and then
his crest ; these were divided by bands,
on which was inscribed his war-cry or
motto, the whole being fringed with his
livery or family colors.
The standard of the Douglas and the
gauntlets of Percy, relics of the fight of
Jhe Douglas standard, 1382. ^,, , a ic 1 ooo .■^^
Otterburne, Aug. 15, 1.388, are still pre-
served in Scotland. The story of the battle represents Douglas as
1 Penny Cyclopedia. 2 See ante, p. 24.
142 TIIK SYMBOLS. STANhAKKS. AND KANNKKS
having, in u i)ei'Soniil encouutcr with Percy in front of Newcastle,
taken fruni him liis spear and hanging flag, saying he would carry it
hunie with liiin, and plant it on his castle of Dalkeitli.'
The battle was an ellbrt of Percy to recover this valued standard,
which, however, found its way to Scotland, uotwitljstanding the death
of its captor. One of the two natural sons of I)ouglas founded the
family of Douglas, of Cavers, in lioxburghshire, the last male descend-
ant of which, James Douglas, died in 1878; and in their hands these
relics of Otterburue have been preserved nearly iive hundred years.
It is found, however, that history has misrepresented the matter. The
Otterburne Hag proves not to be a spear pennon, but a standard thir-
teen feet long (two yards longer than the regulated size of an empe-
ror's standard), bearing the Douglas arms ; it evidently was Douglas's
owu banner, which his sons would, of course, be most anxious to pre-
serve and carry home. Here is a standard laid up in store at Cavers,
more than a hundred years before America was discovered ! ^
Charles I., in his issue with the Parliament, having decided to
make a solemn appeal to the sword, issued a proclamation requiring
all his subjects who could bear arms to meet him at Xottingham on
the 23d of August, 1641, when he designed to raise his royal standard,
the first and only time of such a rally since the barons raised the stand-
ard at Northallerton, a.d. 1138. At the appointed time, a numerous
company, mounted and on foot, came from the surrounding country,
rather to indulge their curiosity with respect to the mode of conduct-
ing an ancient ceremony never before witnessed in the memory of
any living man, than to offer loyal assistance to their sovereign.
On the hill, three troops of horse and a corps of six hundred foot
were drawn up to guard the standard. As the herald was about to
begin. King Charles desired to see the proclamation ; and, calling for
pen and ink, placed the paper on his knee as he sat in the saddle,
and made several alterations with his own hand, returning it to the
herald, who then read it, but, on coming to the passages the king had
corrected, with some embarrassment. Immediately after the reading,
the trumpets sounded, the standard was advanced, and the spectators
threw up their hats, shouting " God save the king ! " The standard
raised was a large blood-red streamer bearing the royal arms quar-
tered, with a hand pointing to the crown which stood above, and
inscribed with the motto, " Give Cccsar his due." Farther on towards
the point were represented at intervals the rose, the fleur-de-lis, and
the harp, each surmounted by a royal crown.
1 Chambers's Book of Davs.
OF ANCIENT AND MODERN NATIONS. 143
It was with difficulty the standard could be fixed in its place, the
ground being solid rock, and no instruments to pierce it having been
provided. Scarcely had this object been accomplished by digging
into the firm stone with the daggers and halbert points of the soldiers,
when a fierce gust of wind, sweeping with a wild moan across the face
of the hill, laid ]3rostrate the emblem of sovereignty. This accident
was regarded as a presage of evil, and a general melancholy over-
spread the assembly. No further attempt was made that day, and
the standard was borne back into the castle in silence. The next
day and the day following, the ceremony was repeated, with less
gloomy auspices, the king attending on each occasion.^
The Eoyal Standard of Great Britain and Ireland. — The
origin of the emblazonments on that gorgeous banner may be thus
briefly sketched.^ The lions passant gardant or, on a red field, were
the arms of Normandy, and two of them were introduced by William
Eufus ; the third was added by Henry II. for the duchy of Aquitaine,
in right of his wife. Edward III. quartered with the lions the fleur-
de-lis powdered on a blue field, of which five were entire, and borne
in the first and fourth quarters. This he did on claiming the sover-
eignty of France, in right of his mother, Isabel, sister and heiress of
Charles the Fair ; the royal standard, composed thus of
the arms of France and England combined, continued
until the reign of Henry V., when the French king hav-
ing reduced the number of fleurs-de-lis to three, Henry
did the same. They so appear on the standard carried
by the Great Harry, in the time of Henry VIII., and on
a royal standard at the main of a ship of w^ar i^w^-
Anusuf HeuiTv., poscd the Ark Eoyal of Ealeigh) of the time of Elizabeth,
of England. j^g represented on the tapestry of the old House of Lords,
which was destroyed by the fire. On a staff abaft, this ship had a plain
square flag of St. George, white, with a red cross. On the union of
England and Scotland, through the accession of James I., the stand-
ard was changed, the first and fourth quarters bearing each the arms
described, the second introducing the lion of Scotland, and the third
quarter the harp of Ireland.
William III. placed an escutcheon of pretence upon the royal
standard for Nassau, which was removed by Queen Anne ; and the
* Cattermole's Great Civil War.
2 The royal banners of England have always borne the same blazonry as the royal
sbield, for which see engraving of royal arms, from the Conquest to Queen Victoria, p. 118.
144 TMK SYMHULS, STANDARDS, AND IJANNKKS
standard then stdod, the first and iourlli iiuartcrings tliu lions of
Eiiudanil and Scotland, the second quarter tJie Ueur-de-lis, and the
third quarter the harp. George I. again changed it, and during his
reign the arms of Brunswick, of Lunenburg, of ancient Saxony, and
the crown of Charlemagne, formed the fourth quarter, the other
quarters remaining as in the reign of Queen Anne. On the legis-
lative union with Ireland, in 1801, the tieurs-de-lis of France were
removed.
The royal standard of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Ireland was established, and first hoisted on the Tower of London, and
on Bedford Tower, Dublin, and displayed by the Foot Guards, Jan. 1,
1801.^ AVhen the new standard was first hoisted on b(jard the Loyal
William, at Spithead, after the L^nion, it was considered ominous, by the
sailors of the fleet, that a gale of wind blew it from the masthead and
it was lost.2 It is a gorgeous banner, and when flashing its golden
splendor in the bright beams of the sun presents a beautiful appear-
ance. The emblazonry represents the arms for the time being of the
nation, as impressed on the coins and borne upon the great seal and
seals of office.
The royal standard is never hoisted except on occasion of the first
ceremony. It is never displayed on shipboard except when the sov-
ereign or some member of the royal family is actually present,^ or on
1 Haydn' .s Book of Dates. - Britisli Naval Chronicle.
3 The only occasion on which the Royal Standard has been displayed within the
United States of America since 1776 was when the Prince of Wales embarked at Port-
land, Maine, Oct. 15, 1860, to return to England after his tour through the United
States and Canada.
" The Prince's last act on American soil was to take leave of the Mayor of Portland.
He then stepped humedly down the cai-peted steps where he embarked to his barge,
which had a silken union jack flying at the stern. The moment he stepped on board, a
sailor at the bow unrolled a small royal standard of silk attached to a staff, and placed it
at the bow of the boat. As soon as it was in place, the whole British squadron, muster-
ing eight or ten ships, honored it with a royal salute of twenty-one guns. The yards of
the sliips were at the same time manned, and when the Prince stepped on the deck of the
Hero, his own ship, the Royal Standard was run up at her main, and again saluted by the
whole fleet, which immediately after weighed and put to sea, the Hero leading. As they
passed Fort Preble, the American ensign was ran up at the fore, and saluted by the whole
fleet, with twenty-one guns fron each ship, wliich was returned by the guns of the fort."
— Goold's History of the Portland Rifle Corps.
A Royal Standard was captured at York, now Toronto, the capital of Upper Canada,
when that place was taken by a land and naval force under General Pike and Commodore
Isaac C'hauncey, on the 27th of April, 1813, and is presei-ved in the gunnery-room of
the U. S. Naval Academy, Annapolis, Md. This is probably the only instance of the
royal standard of the United Kingdom having come into the possession of an enemy.
The following is Commodore Chauncey's official account of its capture : —
OF ANCIENT AND MODERN NATIONS. 145
the Sovereign's birthdays, when the commander-in-chief of a fleet
hoists it at the main. In garrisons at such times it always supersedes
the jack, or common garrison flag.
As established in ISOl, it was heraldically described as "quarterly,
first and fourth, gules three lions passant gardant in pale or, for Eng-
land ; second, oi\ a lion rampant gules within a double tressure flory
counter flory of the last for Scotland ; third, azure, a harp or, stringed
argent, for Ireland. On an escutcheon of pretence, ensigned with the
electoral bonnet ; and divided per pale and per cheveron, enarched
with three compartments, the arms of his Majesty's dominions in Ger-
many ; viz., two lions passant gardant in pale or, for Brunswick ;
second, or, semee of hearts proper, a lion rampant azure, for Bruns-
wick ; third, gules, a horse courant argent, for Saxony. In the centre,
on an escutcheon gules, the crown of Charlemagne proper, being the
badge of the office of arch-treasurer to the holy Eoman Empire." ^
The white horse on a red field was the armorial bearing of ancient
Saxony or Westphalia, and has for centuries been borne by the illus-
trious House of Brunswick. The banner of Wittekend bore a black
horse, which, on his conversion to Christianity by Charlemagne, was
altered to a white one, as the emblem of the pure faith he had em-
braced. In 1700, a medal was struck at Hanover to commemorate
the accession to the electorate of George Lewis, Duke of Hanover,
afterwards George I. This medal bears on one side the head of the
Elector, and on the reverse the white horse. On the accession of
George I., the white horse was introduced as a royal badge in the
standards and colors of certain regiments of cavalry and infantry.
By the peace signed at Amiens, 1802, the French fleurs-de-lis were
required to be erased from the British shield, though they had already
been dropped. From 1.337, the King of England had styled himself
' King of France.' George III. was the first who relinquished that
title.
At the death of William IV., 1837, when Queen Victoria came
to the throne, under the Salic law, she relinquished the kingdom of
Hanover (since incorporated with the empire of Germany) to her
uncle, the Duke of Cumberland, and the escutcheon of pretence, Avitli
" Sir, — I have the honor to present to j'ou, by the hands of I^ieutenant Dudley, the
British standard taken at York on the 27th of April last, accompanied by the mace, over
which hung a human scalp. These articles were taken from the Parliament House by
one of my officers and presented to me. The scalp I caused to be presented to General
Dearborn, who, I believe, still has it in his possession."
^ Naval Chronicle, vol. v.
10
146 THE SYMr.OL:^. STANl )Ai;i )S, AND IJANNEKS
its electoral bonnet, blue lion, and white horse, was removed from the
royal arms and standard, leaving simply the (niarterings for the three
realms vi' the United Kingdom, — England, Scotland, and Ireland.
Sir Walter Scott, alluding to the royal Inumer of Scotland, says
that upon it —
" The niilily lii'ii raiiiiis in ^nld."
The Scottish lion being rampant [/iiJi.<i on a iirld *//•, as displayed on
the standard of the United Kingdom.
The origin of the tressure Hory of Scotland, wiiich surrounds the lion
rampant, is believed to be this : Achaius, sixty-fifth King of Scotland,
being a peaceable and godly ruler, made a league, about a.d. 792, with
Charlemagne, Emperor of the Eomans and King of France ; and in
token thereof the tressure of lilies was given by him to Achaius, to be
borne on the arms of Scotland, as a memorial to posterity of an alli-
ance offensive and defensive between the two kingdoms, and as a pledge
of brotherly love, to signify that the French arms or lilies should defend
and guard the lion of Scotland. About the same time, he adorned the
crown of Scotland with four lilies and four crosses ; the first, emblems
of peace and unity, the latter, symbols of tlieir faith in Christ, and of
the inviolable fidelity of the kingdom of Scotland.^
The hcuy and trefoil of Ireland. — Queen Elizabeth was the first
sovereign to assume the Irish harp and shamrock. The harp was an
attributive ensign of the goddess Hibernia, the patroness of Ireland.
The Irish monarchs being styled ' bards,' their standard bore a harp.
The hai-p of Bryan Boiroiske, King of Ireland, killed by the Danes
in 1039, was preserved at Dublin until 1782.
The shamrock, or trefoil, a druidical symbol, was held in great
veneration by the Hibernians. Monkish historians of Ireland record
this legend : About 440, St. Patrick preached the gospel in a field to
the pagan peasantry of Ireland, but could not persuade them of the
Christian doctrine of the Trinity, until, picking up a plant of the
trefoil, held sacred among them, he showed, by the union of three
leaves on one stem, evidence of three bodies united in one person.
Having persuaded them by this natural example of the reality of
a hitherto incomprehensible mystery, he converted multitudes, who
adopted the shamrock in token of their belief. The Irish armorial
bearings subsequently disappeared from the British shield, but were
restored in 1801, when Ireland was united (?) to England. The harp
first appears on the Irish pieces of Henry YIII. The groat of Eliza-'
1 Pi'estwick's Kesimblica.
OF A^X1EXT AND MODERN NATIONS. 147
beth has three harps. Henry YIII. is said to have given his daughter
three harps for her perfecting in music'
The Thistle of Scotland. — The origin of the thistle as the emblem
of Scotland is said to be this : About the year 1010, in the reign of
Malcolm I., the Danes invaded Scotland, and landed at Buchan-ness,
intending to storm Stain's Castle, a fortress of some importance. ]\lid-
night was the time selected for the attack, and, as their presence was
unknown and unlooked for, they expected to succeed, without much
trouble, in gaining possession of the castle. The Danes advanced
slowly and silently, and, to prevent the possibility of their footsteps
being heard, they took off their shoes. They reached the place, and
they had only to swim the moat and place their scaling-ladders, and
the castle was theirs, when, in another moment, a cry from the in-
vaders themselves wakened the inmates to a sense of their danger ;
the guards flew to their posts, the soldiers mounted, armed, and pur-
sued the Danes. This sudden change had arisen from a simple
cause. It appeared that the moat, instead of being filled with
water, was dried up and overgrown with tliistles, which, piercing
the unprotected feet of the Danes, caused them to forget their
cautious silence, and to utter the cry which had alarmed the sleep-
ing inmates of the castle. Thus was the thistle the means of
preserving Scotland, and was thenceforth adopted as her national
emblem. Burns thus alludes to it : —
" The rough bniT-thistle spreading wide
Among the bearded here,
I turned my weeder-clips aside,
And spared the symbol dear."
Anciently, in France, there was an order of knighthood dedicated
to our Lady of the Thistle. It was revived by Charles VII., of
France, and James II., of Scotland, when they united against Eng-
land about 1440. James II., of Scotland, had the thistle painted on
a sacred banner of St. Andrew, and hence it became a national stand-
ard for Scotland. In 1687, James YII. of Scotland and II. of Eng-
land entwined the thistle of Scotland with the roses of England. The
jewel of the Knights of the Thistle bore the image of St. Andrew and
his cross, and the motto was, " Nemo me impune laccssit" — " ]^o one
injures me with impunity."
The crosses of St. Anclrevj and St. Patrick. — The origin of the
"crosses of St. Andrew and St. Patrick have been thus stated : In
1248, the Christian allies besieged the walls of Seville, employing
1 is Tin: SVMI'.oLS. S'I'.\M»AK1)S. AM) I'.ANNKKS
divers war-inachinos, among which was the saltire or scaling-ladder,
by aid of whiih they sunnountcd the walls. This victory having
been gained on St. Andrew's day by the assistance of the saltire,
that Ijadge was adopted by tlie coilquerors, ami a 7V iJcam was
sung in all the churches in Injnor of St. Andrew. In the mean
time, Seville having been converted to Christianity, the archlnshop,
who succeeded the mufti, transferred the saltire to the banner of
St. Andrew, to whose miraculous assistance the clergy ascribed the
taking of the strong golden tower of the city. Long rejoicing for the
miraculous victory led to the legend that St. Andrew had been cruci-
fied on a saltire, which they hence named the ' cross of St. Andrew.'
Crucifixion on a saltire never having been adopted by any nation, its
use in the martyrdom of St. Andrew must be considered a monkish
legend. St. Patrick, the apostle of Ireland, is alleged to have died
on such a cross. Hence the representation of these crosses on the
union jack of the United Kingdom.^
Another version is that the cross of St. Andrew as the national
insignia of Scotland is derived from a miraculous occurrence, when
Achaius, king of the Scots, and Hungus, king of the Picts, joined
their forces to oppose the invasion of Athelstane, the Saxon king of
England. The Scottish leaders, havinij addressed themselves to God
and their patron saint, there appeared in the blue firmament of heaven
the figure of the white cross on which St. Andrew had suffered. Pre-
suming from this heavenly vision that their prayers were favorably
received, the soldiers fought with enthusiastic courage, and defeated
the invaders, who left their king, Athelstane, dead upon the field of
battle in East Lothian, a.d. 940 ; and ever since the white saltire upcju
an azure field has been carried by the Scottish nation.^
St. George, of Cappadocia, who furnishes the red Latin cross for
the union, according to Mr. Emerson, was not a very reputable char-
acter, but a low parasite, who obtained a contract to sui)ply the army
with bacon. He was a rogue and an informer, l^ecame rich, and then
had to run for his life. He sa^•ed his money, embraced Arminianism,
was made Bishop of Alexandria in Egypt, and in 361 was dragged
to prison. He was finally taken out and lynched, as he deserved to
be. This bishop is the St. George of England and Russia, — a very
different character from the Georgian chevalier and dragon-destroyer
of the Trajan standard.^
1 Brunet's Regal Armorie. ^ Xewton's Di.splay of Heraldry.
3 Cardinal Newman, created in 1879, took his title from the Cliurch of St. Georgio
<ie Nelabro, the only one in Rome dedicated to the patron saint of England. This cluuch
OF ANCIENT AND MODERN NATIONS.
149
ST GEORCES CnOSS ST ANDREW S CBOSS
A very curious history of the origin and formation of the union jack,
written by Sir Harris Nicolas, is in Braley's ' Graphic lUustrator.'
The Union Jack or Flag of Great Britain. — The combination
of the crosses of St. George and St. Andrew produced the first union
jack, which was declared in 1606,
by King James I., the national
ensign of Great Britain, happily
symbolizing the union of England
and Scotland, in its union of the
crosses of the two realms. In 1801,
in consequence of the legislative
union with Ireland, a second union
ensign was established. The new
device combined the three crosses
of St. George, St. Andrew, and St.
Patrick. The blazonry of this jack
is borne by the Duke of Welling-
ton upon a shield of pretence over
his paternal arms, as an " augmen-
tation of honor " significant and
expressive. The Duke of Marl-
borousrh's arms bear in like manner
the cross of St. George upon a
canton, in commemoration of the
services of his ancestor.
When or why the name ' jack '
was given to this flag is conjectural : in old records it is almost uni-
versally styled the 'UNION flag.' Some have thought as the upper
part of a trooper's armor was so named, the name was transferred
during the time of the Crusades to the St. George's cross on a white
field, whicli the soldiers of the cross wore over their armor before and
behind. Others think the new flag received this name in honor of
James I., it being the abbreviation of his signature, Jac. The name
is mentioned in 1673, in the English treaty with the Dutch, which
obliges " all Dutch ships or sciuadrons of war meeting those of Great
UNION OR KINGS COLORS lSO<
•g-^ ^
PJ
UNION ENSICN JAN. 16 17 07
UNION rUk« 1801.
contains, under the high altar, the head of St. George and liis red silk Ijanner, whiili
are e.xhibited on the day after A.sh Wednesday and on St. George's Day, tlie only days
the church is open to tlie public. Two minutes' walk distant is the Church of
S. Maria-in-Cosmedin, under which is preserved a piece of St. Patrick's skull, exliihited
on that saint's day.
i:)()
Tin: SYMBOLS.
.\M>AiM)s. AND I'.anm:i:s
Lritain, carrying the king's Hag, called ' the jack,' within certain seas
and hounds to strike tlieir topsail and
]n\\or tlieir tlag with like ceremony and
respect as heretofore hy 1 hitch ships to
those of the King of England or liis an-
cestors."
At llie time of the union, devices repre-
senting it were popular. Dur engraving is
a fac-simile of one of these.
The royal ordinance establishing the first
' union jack ' is as follows : —
A Union Device of ISitO.
" Whereas some differences hath arisen between our subjects of
South and North Britain, travelling by sea, about tlie bearing of their
flags ; for the avoiding of all such contentions hereafter, we have, with
the advice of our council, ordered from henceforth all our sul)jects of
this Isle and Kingdom of Great Britain, and the inemljers thereof,
shall bear in the maintop the red cross, commonly called St. George's
cross, and the white cross, commonly called St. Andrew's cross, joined
together, according to a form made by our heralds, and sent by us
to our admiral, to be published to our said subjects ; and in the fore-
top our subjects of South Britain (England) shall wear the red cross
only, as they were wont ; and our subjects of Xorth Britain (Scotland)
in the foretop the white cross only, as they were accustomed : where-
fore, we will and command all our subjects to be conformable and
oljedient to this our order, and that from henceforth they do not use
or bear their flags in any other sort, as they will answer to tlie con-
trary at their peril.
" Given at our Palace this 12th day of April, 4th lacques, x.jk 1606." ^
There are instances in M-hicli this union flag is represented with
the St. C^eorge's cross spread across the entire head, and the St. An-
drew's cross the entire fly. No drawing is extant "of the form
made by the heralds," sent to the admiral to be published, but the
paintings of Yandevelde and others show on the bowsprits of vessels
of war the flag known as the ' union jack,' presumptive proof that such
was the union devised by the heralds. In a drawing of the Duke of
York's yacht visiting the fleet in the ^Nledway, painted by Vandevelde
and preserved in the British Museum, all the ensigns have a red
cross in a canton ; but every bowsprit is furnished with a union jack,
and. two of the largest ships carry it aloft, — one, the Breda, at the
' United Service .Journal.
OF ANCIENT AND MODERN NATIONS.
151
main, and another at the mizzen. There is also an admiral's ship
with the white at the main.
In a paper dated Friday, Jan. 14, 1652, "By the commissioners
for ordering and managing y« affairs of the Admiralty and Xavy,"
ordering what flag shall be worn by flag-ofiicers, it is ordered, " all the
shijDps to wear jacks as formerly."
The king's proclamation, Jan. 1, 1801, establishing and ordering
the present red ensign, known as the ' meteor flag of old England,'
which the lively imagination of poets has
transformed into the omnipotent banner
which "for a thousand years has braved
the battle and the breeze," to be worn by
all the merchant ships of the kingdom, in-
stead of the ensign before that time usually
worn by them, says, " To the end that none
of our subjects may presume on board
their ships to wear our flags, jacks, and
pendants which, according to ancient usage,
have been appointed as a distinction to
St. Andrew. St. George. St. Patrick, q^j, sMps, or any flags, jacks, or peudauts
in shape or mixture of colors so far resembling ours as not to be
easily distinguished therefrom, we do, with the advice of our privy
council, hereby strictly charge and command all our subjects what-
soever that they do not presume to wear on any of their ships or
vessels our jack, commonly called the 'union jack,' nor any pen-
dants, nor any such colors as are usually borne by our ships, without
particular warrant for their so doing from us, or our high admiral of
Great Britain, or the commissioners for executing the office of high
admiral for the time being ; and we do hereby also further command
all our loving subjects, that, without such warrant as aforesaid, they
presume not to wear on board their ships or vessels any flags, jacks,
pendants, or colors made in imitation of or resembling ours, or any
kind of pendants whatsoever, or any other ensign than the ensign
described on the side or margin hereof," &c." The proclamation then
excepts from this order certain vessels temporarily employed by the
government, which are to " wear a ' red jack ' with a union jack de-
scribed in a canton at the upper corner thereof, next the staff"." All
merchant ships displaying the union jack, &c., were to have their
colors seized, and the masters and commanders and other persons
so offending were to be duly punished. This union flag or jack was
worn, and continues to be worn, on the bowsprit of all ships of war.
152 Tin: SV.MUoLS, STANDARDS, AND J^ANNKIiS
It is also worn by the acliniral of the fleet at the main of his llag-ship,
and is the garrison coh)r hoisted over all the forts belonging to her
Majesty's dominions, it is heraldically described thus: The crosses
of St. George and St. Andrew, on iields arycnt and azure, the crosses
saltire of St. Andrew and St. Patrick quarterly, per saltire counter
charged arycnt and gules, the latter fimbriated of the second, sur-
mounted by the cross of St. George, gules fimbriated as the saltire." ^
It does not appear why the red saltire is called St. Patrick's cross,
in defiance of all Church tradition. St. Patrick never had a cross, and
to give him one is simply an Irish bull. The saltire, so far as it
belongs to any saint, is St. Andrew's. It has been suggested that the
red saltire, bordered with white, really represents the Fitz Gerald
arms, " argent, a saltire gules."
In 1823, it was royally ordained no merchant ship or vessel shovild
carry the union jack, unless it was bordered on all sides with white,
equal in breadth to one-fifth of the breadth of the jack exclusive of
the border. The penalty for using the royal union jack on board
a merchant vessel is £500.
An idea was long entertained in England that the admiral's red
flag had been taken from the main masthead of the admiral's ship,
and that the Dutch obtained that trophy in one of the battles between
Blake and Van Tromp, — a mistaken notion, for the red flag never
has been surrendered. The last admiral who wore it, before it was
restored to the navy by the creation of a batch of admirals and rear
and vice admirals of the red after the battle of Trafalgar, Oct. 21, 1805,
was Sir George Eooke, as admiral of the fleet, when commander of the
combined forces of England and Holland in the Mediterranean in
1703. Upon the union of England with Scotland, 1606, the red flag
was discontinued, and the union jack superseded a red flag at the
main, as the distinguishing flag of the admiral of the fleet.^
Up to 1864, the royal navy wore ensigns of the three colors, red,
white, or blue, according to the rank of the officer commanding. In
that year, the white ensign was alone reserved for the royal navy,
and the blue and red ensigns were given up to the use of the naval
reserve and mercliant marine. At the same time, the several grades
of admirals of the red and blue were merged under the white ensign,
with a St. George's red cross on a white field for their distinguishing
flags, the union being continued in all the ensigns.^
1 British Naval Chronicle, vol. v. pp. 64, 65.
2 British Naval Chronicle, 1805, also 1816.
3 In the first edition of this work the full circular order from the admiralty, dated
Aug. 4, 1864, was given.
OF ANCIENT AND MODEEN NATIONS. 15^
The military flags of Great Britain in use may be grouped in the
two divisions, — ' cavahy banners ' styled ' standards/ and ' infantry
colors.' The standards of the cavalry are small in size ; their color
is determined by that of the regimental facings; they are charged
with the cipher, number, heraldic insignia, and honors, such as
' Waterloo,' ' Alma,' &c., of each regiment. The standards of the
household cavalry are crimson, richly embroidered with the royal
insignia of Enoland.
Every infantry regiment or battalion of the line has its " pair of
colors." One is the queen's color, a union jack charged with some
one or more of the regimental devices ; the other is the regimental
color, and its field is of the same tincture as the facings, and bears
the cipher, number, device, motto, and honors of the corps. At first,
each infantry regiment had one color only ; afterwards, there were
three to each regiment. In the reign of Queen Anne, the colors
were reduced to their present number, — a ' pair.' The colors of the
Foot Guards reverse the arrangement of those of the line. Their
queen's color is crimson, either with or without a cantoned jack, but
always charged with the royal cipher and crown, and the regimental
devices. The regimental color of the Guards is the union jack. The
Guards also have small company colors.
The royal artillery and rifles of the line have no colors. The vol-
unteer regiments have been left to determine for themselves whether
they shall carry color.s, and also the character of the colors they may
decide to adopt. What may be termed the volunteer banner is worthy
of the force. It has the figures of an archer of the olden time, and a
rifleman of to-day, with the motto, " Defence, not defiance." ^
In 1873, the colors of the native army in India were assimilated to
those of the British army, and the devices, &c., of the colors of all the
native regiments were ordered to be registered at the College of Arms.
The standard of a regiment is a telegraph in the centre of the
battle to speak the changes of the day to the wings. "Defend the
colors ! form upon the colors ! " is the first cry and first thought of
a soldier. This standard contains the honor of the band, and the
brave press round its bearer. An instance of the attachment shown by
English troops to their standards occurred after the battle of Corunna..
It was night. The regimental color of the Fiftieth was missing ; a cry
arose that it. had been lost ; the soldiers were furious ; Sir Henry
Fane, with a loud and angry voice, called out, " No, no ! the Fiftieth
cannot have lost their colors ! " They were not lost. Two ensigns —
^ Boutell's Heraldry,
ir)4 Tin: SYMltoLS, STANDAliDS, AND KANNKKS
Stewart, a ►Scutchiuaii, and IMoore, an Iri.slnnan — hud been slain as
they bore the banners cliarging through the vilhige of El Vina. Two
color-sergeants, seizing the prostrate colors, continued tlie charge, and
carried them through the battle. Wlien the figlit was done, an otHcer
received one of these standards from tlie sergeant. It was dark, and
he forgot l.>oth their use and their honor, and had gone to the rear,
intending to embark with them, though tlie regiment was still in
position. The stray color was found, and the soldiers pacified; Imt
this olhcer never could remove the feeling which his well-meaning
but ill-judged caution had produced against him. Tiiis shows the
sentiments entertained by British troops for their colors, pervading
all ranks, from the general to the drummer. Sir Henry Fane's words
rendered him a favorite with the Fiftieth liegiment ever after.
A British color-sergeant, shot down and overrun by the enemy,
once seized in his mouth a corner of the flag, and his teeth locked
upon it in the rigidity of death. The enemy cut it away, leaving a
bit between his fixed teeth. The standard was retaken, and ever
since the flag of the regiment is made with that little piece carefully
cut out, in memory of the sergeant who was buried with the fragment
in his mouth.
In the jMilitary Hospital at Chelsea is preserved a large number of
military trophies, among them the following American flags : —
1. An American national color of Second Eegiment of the line,
taken by General Brock on the frontier.
2. An American flag, taken probably in the Eevolutionary War.
3. An American flag, the same as the above.
4. A regimental color of the Fourth American Regiment, 1812-14.
5. An American flag taken by the Eighty-fifth Eegiment on the
left bank of the Mississippi.
6. An American flag, taken in the first war, probably at Boston.
7. An American regimental flag of the Second Eegiment.^
The American ensign of the Canadian rebel steamer Caroline is
preserved in the Museum of the Eoyal JMilitary and Naval Institute,
Scotland Yard, London.
Immediately before the battle of Trafalgar, Nelson exhibited the
ever memorable signal, " England expects every man vAll do his duty."
The illustration is from an original drawing in the Eoyal Service In-
stitution, and shows how great a number and variety of flags was
used. Each set of flags had to be arranged according to its number
in the signal-book, and run up to the masthead, until answered and
1 London Paper, 1836.
OF ANCIENT AND MODERN NATIONS.
155
understood by each sliip. Then another set was run np, and so on
until the signal was completed. Each set represented a word, except
the last word, ' duty,' which, strange to say, was not represented by
any number in the
signal-book, and
had to be spelled
out. This tedious
method of signal-
ling is to some ex-
tent still used by
the navy and mer-
chant ships of all
nations. Sir Har-
ris Nicolas deemed
it worth while to
ascertain as pre-
cisely as he could
the circumstances
"England-expects-every-n,an-wai-do-his-d-u-t-y." ^^^^^^^, ^^^^^-^^^ ^j^^^^
words were uttered. There are three accounts of the matter, — one
by Mr. James, in his ' Naval History ; ' one by Captain Blackwood,
who commanded the Euryalus at the battle of Trafalgar ; and one by
Captain Pasco, who was Nelson's flag-lieutenant in the victory. Sir
Harris Nicolas accepts Pasco's version, because that officer himself sig-
nalled the words. " His lordship came to me on the poop," says Pasco,
" and, after ordering certain signals to be made, said, ' Mr. Pasco, T wish
to say to the fleet, " England confides every man will do his duty ! " '
and he added, ' You must be quick, for I have one more to make, which
is for close action.' I replied, 'If your lordship will permit me to
substitute " expects " for " confides," the signal will soon be com-
pleted, because the word " expects " is in the vocabulary, whereas the
word " confides " must be spelled ? ' His lordship replied, in haste,
and with seeming satisfaction, ' That will do, Pasco ; make it directly ! '
When it had been answered by a few ships in the van, he ordered me
to make the signal for close action." Captain Blackwood says the
correction suggested by the signal-ofticer was from " Nelson expects "
to " England expects ; " but Captain Pasco's is accepted as being more
probable.
The flag which floated over the Nelson column in Trafalgar Square in
1844 was part of the ensign which thirty-eight years before waved over
the hero on the memorable day of his last great achievement and death.
156 SVMliULS, .STANDAKDS, AND IJANNKKS.
A gentleninn residing at Sacnunonto. Cal., Ims in liis possession a
bauuer of green wilh a goklen harp in the centre, wliich is the identical
banner carried by the rebels of 1798 in Ireland, and most notably at
the siege of Drogheda. It was bronglit to the United States by liis
father, James Gildea. The Hag is thirty i'eet long by ten wide, and
has been well preserved.
At Cyprus, in 1878, when Sir Garnet Wolseley took possession, the
British Hag was solemnly censed, blessed, and hoisted l)y Greek priests,
the guards presenting arms.
Note. — Campbell, tlie poet of Hoj)e, wrote, some time previou.s to our eivil war, the
following lines, wliiuh, however, since slavery has been abolished, at the expense of a
bloody and costly war, have now no significance : —
" United States I your banner wears
Two emblems, — one, of fame ;
Alas ! the other that it bears
Keminds us of your shame.
Your standard's constellation types
White freedom by its stars ;
But what's the meaning of your stripes, —
They mean your negi'o's scars."
In reply to this bitter epistle, the Hon. George Lunt, of Massachusetts, •WTote : —
"England ! whence came each glowing hue
That tints your flag of meteor light, —
The streaming red, the deeper blue,
Crossed with the moonbeams pearly white ?
The blood and bruise — the blue and red —
Let Asia's groaning viillions sjicak ;
The white, it tells of color fled
From starving Erin's jKillid cheek I "
A fair retort, as true to-day as it was a quarter of a century ago.
"The cry that comes across the sea
From your low cabins reaches me.
Like a Banshee's wild, despairing wail,
Brought on the surging northern gale,
Connemara !
" Men stagger as they try to stand
Upon your famine-stricken land.
And women lying down to die.
Bare icy breasts, because their babies cry :
Connemara ! " ^
IRC, in Providence Journal, 18S0.
Pa^H |.'
PL IV
NEW ENGLAND COLORS 1686-1776
NEW ENGLAND COLORS 1686
(FROM DRAFT IN BRITISH STATE PAPER OFFICE
Q
II
W'
ZfB
^^^■^^^^^^^^ ^^^
^
MERCHA
NT P
^L AG 1701
NEW ENGLAND FLAG 1737
FLAG OF THE SCHOONER ROYAL SAVAGE
/ JULY 1776
PART II.
A.D. 860-1777.
THE EARLY DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA, AND THE FIRST
BANNERS PLANTED ON ITS SHORES,
A.D. 860-1634.
COLONIAL AND PROVINCIAL FLAGS,
1634-1766.
FLAGS OF THE PRE-REVOLUTIONARY AND REVOLUTIONARY
PERIOD, PRECEDING THE STARS AND STRIPES,
1766-1776.
THE GRAND UNION OR CONTINENTAL FLAG OF THE
UNITED COLONIES,
1776-1777.
"Far o'er yon nzurc main tliy viow txttnd,
Wlii'iv seas anil .skies in IjIuu confusion lilund:
Lo ! there a mighty reahn, by Heaven lUsigned
The hist retreat lor poor oppress'il mankiml :
Fornieil witli tliat pomp which marks the liaml divine,
And clothes yon vault where worlds unnumhered shine.
Hero spacious plains in solemn grandeur spread,
Here cloudy forests cast eternal shade ;
Kieh valleys wind, the sky tall mountains liiave.
And inland seas for commerce s])read tiie wave.
With noble floods, the sea-like rivers roll.
And fairer lustre purples round tlie pole.
Here, warmed by happy suns gay mines unfold
The useful iron and the lasting gold ;
Pure, changing gems in silence learn to glow,
And mock the .splendors of the covenant bow.
Far from all realms this world imperial lies,
Seas roll between, and threat'ning tempests rise,
Alike removed beyond ambition's pale.
And the bold pinions of the venturous sail ;
Till circling years the destined period bring,
And a new iMoses lift tlie daring wing.
On yon fair strand behold that little train
Ascending venturous o'er the unmeasured main ;
No dangers fright, no ills the course delay ;
'T is virtue jirompts, and God directs the way.
Here emjiire's last and brightest throne sliall rise,
And peace and right and freedom greet the skies ;
To morn's fair realms her trading shijjs sliall sail
Or lift their canvas to the evening gale :
In wisilom's walks her sons ambitious .soar,
Tread starry fields, and untried scenes explore ;
And hark ! what strange, what solemn bi'eaking strain
Swells, wildly murmuring o'er the far, far main !
Down time's long lessening vale the notes decay.
And lost in distant ages roll away."
Timothy Dwight's Propheoj of America, written 1771-1774.
PART 11.
THE .EAELY DISCOVEEIES OF AMEEICA, AND THE FIEST
BANNERS PLANTED ON ITS SHOEES,
A.D. 860-1636.
" And then the bhie-eyed Norseman told
A saga of the days of old.
' There is/ said he, ' a wondrous book
Of legends in the old Norse tongue,
Of the dead kings of NoiToway, —
Legends that once were told or sung
In many a smoky fire-side nook.
And he who looks may find therein
The story that I now begin.' " — Longfellow.
A Nullhiuau Vessel, a.u. bOO-1014.
ino nijiciN AND im;(h;i;i:ss of thk
ExrKDiTiONS to the shores of North America are said to have gone
fortli I'rom the liritish Isles even iu advance of the Nortlimen. Only
vague traditionary accounts of these expeditions have come down to us,
but records of early voyages from CIreenland liave been found, w hi( h
afford strong circumstantial evidence tluit the Xew England coast \v;is
visited, and that settlements were attempted thereon, by Scandinavian
navigators, five hundred years before the first voyage of Columbus.
The fact that the Northmen knew of the existence of this conti-
nent prior to the age of Columbus was prominently brought before the
people of this country in 1837, when the Eoyal Society of Northern
Antiquaries, at Copenhagen, published their work on the antiquities of
North America, under the editorial supervision of that great Icelandic
scholar, Professor Eafn. It had always been known that the histories
of certain early voyages to America by the Northmen were preserved
in the libraries of Denmark and Iceland. Adam of Bremen, who
wrote about a.d. 1074, had heard of the exploits of the Northmen in
Vineland, and made mention of that country in his work.
Naddod, a Scandinavian pirate or viking, in the year 860, and Gardar,
a Dane, soon after, are said to be the first Northmen who, driven by
storms, came in sight of and reconnoitered Iceland. The news they
carried home induced others to follow in their track, and Northman
Ingolf, A.D. 874, was the first who settled there. He and his men found
there Christian Irishmen, the Papas or Papar, who soon left the island.
In 876, a northeast storm drove one of these Icelandic settlers,
named Gunnbjorn, to some rock near Greenland, which he appears
only to have seen in the distance. It was more than fifty years before
any other adventurer followed in his track, until, iu 928, Are Marson
was driven by a storm from Iceland to America.^ At last, in the spring
of 984-985, Eric the Red, having been banished, for manslaughter,
from Iceland, sailed with the intention of seeking the country seen by
Gunnl)jorn. Having found it, he established a settlement, which he
called Brattalid, in a bay on the west coast of Greenland, which, after
him, was called Eric's Fiord. He found the country pleasant, full of
meadows, and of a milder climate than the more northern Iceland.
He gave it the name of Greenland,^ saying that this would be an in-
viting name, which would attract other people from Iceland. Another
adventurer, Heriulf, soon followed Jiim, and established himself on the
west coast, north of our present Cape Farewell, at a place which, after
him, was called Heriulfsness.
1 De Costa's Pre. Col. Dis. p. 86.
2 De Costa lioUs tliat Eric did not originate the name.
FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES. 161
Heriulf had a son, Biarne, who, when his father went to Greenland,
was on a trading voyage to Norway. Eeturning to Iceland in 986,
and, finding that his father had gone to the west with Eric the Eed,
he resolved to follow him, and to spend the winter in Greenland.
Boldly setting sail, he encountered northerly storms. After many
days they lost their reckoning or course, and, when the weather cleared,
descried land entirely unlike that described to them as Greenland.
They saw it was a more southern land, and covered with forests. It
not being the intention of Biarne to explore new countries, but to find
his father in Greenland, after sailing two more days and nights, he
improved a southwest wind, turned to the northeast, and, after
several days' sailing by other lands bordered by icebergs, reached
Heriulfsness. His return occupied nine days, and he speaks of three
distinct tracts of land along which he had coasted, one of which he
supposed to be a large island.
The results of the expedition of Biarne were these : He was the
first European Avho saw, though from a distance, and very cursorily,
some parts of the coasts of ISTew England, iSTova Scotia, and New-
foundland. When he returned to Norway, he was blamed for not
having examined the new-found countries more accurately.
In Greenland there was much talk about undertaking a voyage of
discovery to the west. Leif, the son of Eric the Red, the first settler
in Greenland, having bought Biarne's ship, a.d. 1000, with a crew of
thirty-five men, among whom was Biarne himself, went out on Biarne's
track to the southwest. They anchored and went on shore, probably
at Newfoundland, and after a brief delay pursued their voyage, and
came to a low, wooded coast, with shores of white sand, which they
named Markland (Woodland), our present Nova Scotia.^ Continuing
their course, in two days they again made land, a promontory project-
ing in a northeasterly direction from the main, corresponding to our
present Cape Cod.
Leif, rounding this cape to the southward, sailed westward, and
1 About 1659, Francis Fuller, of Winthrop, Maine, stated that he went as a ship car-
penter's apprentice to the Kennebec, and at Agrys Point, near the present town of Pittston,
three miles below the city of Gardiner, in clearing the ground for a ship-yard, tliey dis-
covered the bottom of a brick chimney. Furtlier examination disclosed the remains of
thirteen other chimneys. " Within the limits of one," said Mr. Fuller, "grew a tree three
feet in diameter. We had the curiosity to count the rings of this tree, to ascertain its
age, and found that they exceeded six hundred, thereby indicating that it was over six
hundred years old. We concluded a village had existed there long before Columbus dis-
covered America." — Joseph Williamson, Esq., on the Northmen in Maine, in Historical
Magazine, January, 1869.
11
1(;2 OKKJIN AM> I'I;(h;i;ess of TIIH
entered a bay or liarbor. ami went on shore. Finding the country
very jileasant, he conchidt-d to .spend the winter thure, and formed a
settlenient, which was called Leilslnidir (Leifs l)l(ick-house or dwell-
ing). It is, with a degree of probability, .supi)o.sed this settlcnu'iit was
on the coast of Ifhode Island, in Xarragansett 15ay, jjcrhaps not far
from Xewport. Leif and his men made several exploring expeditions
to the interior. On one of these a German named Tyrker, who hud
long resided with Leif's father in Iceland and Greenland, lost his way,
and was missing. Leif, with some of his men, went in search of him,
and had not gone far when they saw him coming out from a wood,
holding something in his hands, coming towards them, very much
excited, and speaking in German. At last he told them, in Norse,
" I found vines and grapes," showing what he held in his hands. Leif,
an Icelander and Greenlander, probably had never seen fresh grapes,
and asked, " Is that true, my friend ? " and then Tyrker said that he
well knew they were real grapes, having been born and educated in a
country in which there were plenty of vines. The Northmen col-
lected their boat fidl of grapes, and from this circumstance Leif gave
this new southern country the name of Vinland. During the winter,
Leif observed that the climate of Viulaud was so mild that cattle
could be kept out-doors unsheltered, and that throughout the year the
days and nights were much more equal in length than in Greenland.
On the shortest day in Vinland the sun was above the horizon from
7.30 A.M. to 4.30 P.M. This astronomical observation confirms the
generally adopted view that their settlement was in the southern part
of New England. Filling their vessel with wood, they returned to
Greenland in the spring.^
Leif's brother, Thorwald, being of opinion the new country had
not been explored sufficiently, borrowed Leif's ship, and, aided by
his advice and direction, commenced another voyage to this country
in 1002. Sailing on the track of his predecessors, he arrived at
Leifbudir, in Vinland, and spent the winter in fishing and cutting
wood. In the spring he sent out his long-boat to the southward
on a voyage of discovery, and she did not return until the fall of the
year.
These events took place about the time of the massacre of the Danes
1 Mr. "Williamson, in his article on the Nortlunen in Maine, contends that the island
to the eastward of the main was Monhegan, while the river issuing from lakes, &c., is
well represented by the Kennebec, which joins the ocean near that island. De Monts,
who visited Acadie in 1607, speaks of grapes in several places, and they were in such
plenty on the Isle of Orleans, in lat. 47°, that it was called the Island of Bacchus.
FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES.
163
in England, and the revengeful invasion of the English coast by
Sweyne, whose sister Gunhilda, with her husband and son, had been
put to death in the presence and by command of Edric Streone, one
of the Anglo-Saxon chieftains. He ravaged Devonshire, Dorsetshire,
and Wiltshire, as also other parts, and burnt several towns, until
Etheldred was glad to purchase a two years' respite at a cost of
£36,000, equivalent to the worth of 720,000 acres of land at that
time. He was also compelled to feed his invaders.^
The Danish ships with which Sweyne made his descent upon the
English coast in 1004 have been described with minuteness by con-
^ Soutliey's Naval History.
1(;4 OKKJIN AM» I'KKCKKSS OF Till:
temporary chroniclers, ami alVonl us uu idea of the vessels in which
T.t'if and his brother Thorwald sailed along the American coast.
• i^acli vessel," says Sir N. Harris Nicolas,' citing contemporaneous
chronicles, " had a high deck and bore a distinctive emblem indicating
its commander, similar, probably, in object, to the banners of later
chieftains. The i>rows of the ships yvere ornamented with figures of
lions, V»ulls, dolphins, and of men, made of copjjcr gilt, and at the
mastheads of others were vanes shaped like birds with expanded
wings, showing whence the wind l)lew. Their sides were i)ainted
with various colors, and the shields of the soldiers, of polished steel,
were placed in rows around the gunwales. Sweyne's own ship was
the Great Dragon, built in the form of the animal whose name it
bore ; its head forming the prow, and its tail the stern. The mys-
terious Scandinavian standard of white silk, having in its centre a
raven, wdth extended wings and beak open, the supposed insurer of
victor}'-, which had been embroidered by three of Sweyne's sisters in
one night, amidst charms and magical incantations, was on board his
ship, but it was not displayed until he landed in England."
The next year, 1004, Thorwald undertook another voyage, and had
a battle with the aborigines, it is conjectured near the harbor of
Plymouth. Of course the victory was with the Europeans. After
the victory, Thorwald asked his men whether any had been wounded.
Upon their denying this, he said, " I am : I have an arrow under my arm
wdiich will be my death-blow 1 " Advising them to dejDart as soon as
possible, he requested them to bury him on a hilly promontory over-
grown with wood, which he had previously selected as his abode,
saying : " I was a prophet, for now I shall dwell there for ever. There
you shall bury me, and plant two crosses, one at my head and one at
my feet, and call the place ' Krossaness,' — the cape of the crosses,
— for all time coming." Thorwald upon this died, and his men did
as he had ordered them. Thorwald was the ancestor of Thorwaldsen
the sculptor, and in an unpublished poem Edward Everett expressed
a hope that the artist would commemorate in undying stone the dis-
coverers to Europe of Xorth America.
" Thonvald shall live for aye
In Thorwaldsen."
But, alas ! the sculptor died with the hope unfulfilled.^
Thorwald's men returned to the settlement at Leifsbudir, and
spent with them the following winter. But in the spring of 1005,
1 History of the Royal Navy, vol. i.
2 Boston Daily Advertiser, July 17, 1872.
FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES. 165
having collected a cargo of wood, furs, and dried grapes, tiiey sailed
to Greenland. The results of Tliorwald's expedition were, that he
and his men stayed on the coast of New England nearly two years,
principally occupied in explorations. They sailed along the south
coast of New England towards and perhaps beyond New York.
They recognized and described more minutely the important head-
lands of Cape Cod, and gave it the name of ' Kiarlarness,' — Keel
Cape, — because there they experienced bad weather and broke their
keel, a piece of which, after repairing their ship, they stuck up on the
reef They intended an expedition along the coast toward the north,
which was turned back, near the harbor of Boston, by the death of
Thorwald.
The next voyager was Thorstein, Eric's third son, who resolved
to proceed to Vinland in his brother's ship, with twenty-five able and
strong men, to obtain his brother's body. His wife, Gudrida, a woman
of energy and prudence, accompanied him. They got no farther tlian
Greenland, when a sickness broke out. Thorstein and others died,
and Gudrida returned with the ship to Eric's fiord on the southern
coast of Greenland. In the following summer, lOOC, two ships arrived
at Eric's fiord from Iceland. Thorfinn, a wealthy and powerful man
of illustrious lineage, who commanded one of them, fell in love with
Gudrida, the widow 'of Thorstein, and married her. Thorfinn, urged
by his wife and others, resolved to undertake a voyage to the south,
and in the summer of 1007 prepared three ships, their united com-
panies amounting in all to one liundred and sixty men, and, with
the intention of colonizing in the new and beautiful land, took all
kinds of live-stock along. They sailed in the spring of 1008, and
were the first European navigators that made a coasting voyage along
the coast of Maine, keeping in sight of the laud until they came to
Cape Cod, which, from its long sandy beaches and downs, they named
Furderstranclr, — beaches of wonderful length. Their settlement was
formed near Leifsbudir, on the other side of the water, at a place
which pleased Thorfinn better, and which was called Thorfins-budir.
It stood near a small recess or bay, called by them ' hop ' or ' corner.'
On the low grounds around this hop they found fields of wheat
growing wild, and on the rising ground plenty of vines. Here
Gudrida, the wife of Thorfinn, gave birth to a son, who received the
name of Snorre, who must be considered the first American child
born on the continent, of European parents. On a subsequent at-
tempt to explore the coast of Maine, Thorhall, one of Tliorfinn's men,
was driven over to the coast of Ireland. After a while, discontent
IGd (tiJiriiN AM) i'iM)(;in:ss of tiii:
and dissensions broke out among the settlers, and Thorfinn, with his
wile Gudrida, and his American son Snorre, tlien three years of age,
lel't the country together, and with a good soutlierly wind returned
to Greenland. It is probable a party of liis meu icinained behind,
and continued the settlement of Vinland. Thortinn never returned,
but afterwards went to Xorway, and from thence, in 1<(14, to Iceland,
where he bought an estate, and resided for the remainder of his
life with his wife and son. After liis death and the marriage of
Snorre, his widow Gudrida made a pilgrimage to Kome, where she
was received with distinction. Afterwards she returned to her son's
estate in Iceland, where Snorre had built a church, and where, after
aU her adventures, she long lived as a religious recluse.^
In 1121, the voyage to Vinland of a bishop of Greenland, named
Eric, is mentioned in ' Icelandic Annals.' Eric was appointed bishop
of Greenland, but performed no duties after his consecration, and
eventually resigned that See in order to undertake the mission to
Vinland. The fact that such a high ecclesiastical functionary should
go to Vinland appears good proof that, since Thorfinn's time, North-
men settlers or traders had tarried there. Of the results of his ex-
pedition we have no particular information. After this voyage, we
hear no more of Vinland for more than one hundred years, nor of
countries southwest of Greenland. Then, in 1285, two Icelandic
clergymen, Adalbrand and Thorwald Helgason, visited, on the west
of Iceland, "a new land;" and in 1288, Eric, king of Denmark, sent
out a ship commanded by liolfe, to pay a visit to this new land, sup-
posed to have been Newfoundland. In 1290, Eolfe travelled through
Iceland, and called out men for a voyage to the new land.
Another hundred years after this event, the ' Icelandic Annals '
has the following remarkable though short report : " In the year
13-47, a vessel having a crew of seventeen men sailed from Iceland to
Markland." From the middle of the fourteenth century down to the
discovery of America by Columbus, Cabot, and others, we learn no
• The Dighton Rock, six ami a lialf miles from Taunton, Mass., on the east side of
Taunton River, a boulder of fine gray rock, twelve feet long and five feet high, has an in-
sciiption in the middle (surrounded by rude Indian hieroglyphics of a later date) which
is supposed to be the work of the Northmen, and to relate that Thorfinn Karlsefne
established himself there with one hundred and fifty-one men. A copy of the inscrip-
tion was shown to a !Mohawk chief, who said it represented a triumph of Indians over
a wild beast. !Mr. Schoolcraft showed a copy to an Algonquin, who gave a similar in-
terpretation, but the central figures he rejected, as having no connection with the rest.
That two distinct parties were concerned in making the inscription is clear from the
testimony of the Indians. See Antiquitates Americame, pp. 355-371. There has been
recently a proposition to remove this rock to Copenhagen.
FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES. 167
more of Scandinavian undertakings in this direction. The heroic age
of the jSTorthmen, and their power and spirit of enterprise, had long
passed by/ though there is evidence tending to show that communi-
cation was never suspended.
These early voyagers left no traces of their presence on the con-
tinent, unless it shall be conceded that the round tower or mill at
Newport, about the origin of which history and tradition are alike
silent, was built by them : it stood there when the English people first
visited Ehode Island, and the Narragansett Indians had no traditions of
its origin.^ ]\Iany have supposed that the skeleton in armor dug up near
Fall Eiver was a relic of a Northman killed by the natives in the battle
with Karlsefne. Longfellow has immortalized this legend in his verse.
Information of these voyages existed in Europe. But the dis-
covery was chiefly remembered in traditionary tales of the exploits
of these vikings ; and these new lands were often considered a part
of the European . continent, connected along the ice-bound regions of
the north. When Columbus conceived the grand idea of reaching
Asia by sailing westward, no account of these Scandinavian voyages
was current in Europe.^
It is certain that the junks and boats of the Asiatic nations driven
by storms from the islands and coasts of Asia, drifting along on the
kuro-sima, or black current, which skirts the coast of Japan and
is lost in Behring's Straits, and which answers in the Pacific to
the Gulf stream of the Atlantic, were thrown upon the Pacific coast
of America, and that their shipwrecked crews and passengers found
their way into the interior of the continent. It also seems probable
that other Asiatics found their way by the Aleutian Isles and Behring's
Straits from the projecting capes of Asia to our Pacific shores. Some
refer the origin of the Indian tribes of America to the Phoenicians,
others perceive evidences of their Egyptian or Hindoo parentage, and
others claim they are the lost tribes of Israel " who took counsel to
go forth into a far country where never mankind dwelt."
1 An account of the Scandinavian voyagers is to be. found in the Collections of the
Maine Historical Society, containing a History of the Discovery of Maine, by J. G. Kohl,
published in 1869, which, De Costa .say.s, is a mass of errors, and tliat he wrote his
* Northmen in Maine ' to show we liave no e\'idence tliat the Nortlimen visited ^Maine.
He .says, " they may have done so, but we do not know it." His American editors are
responsible for some of the errors.
■•2 For an account of the Old Mill, see 'The "Old Mill" at Newport, a New Study of
an Ohl Tuzzle,' by E. G. Hatfield, illustrated in Scribner's Monthly, vol. viii., March,
1879, pp. 6-32-642.
8 Columbus visited Iceland in the spring of 1477, fifteen years before his first voyage.
A few years after his voyage to Ireland we find him urging his theory of reaching Asia
by sailing to the west.
ins oT^irnx A\n pkocim'.ss of iiii;
Witliin almost every State and Territory, remains of human skill
and labor have been found, which seem to attest tlie existiMutu liere
of a civilized people before the ancestors of the i»re.sent Indian tribes
Ixjcame masters of the continent. Some of thuse appear to give evi-
dence of intercourse between the peui)le of the Old World and those
of America centuries, perhaps, before the birth of Christ, and at periods
soon afterwards.^ Remains of fortifications, similar in Ibrm to those
of ancient European nations, have been discovered, — fire-places of
regular structure, weapons and utensils of copper, and M-alls of forts
and cities. There are accounts of a Roman coin found in ^lissouri ;
a Persian coin in Ohio ; a bit of silver in Genesee, N. Y., with the
year of our Lord GOO engraved on it, &c. Near IMontevideo, South
America, a tomb is said to have been found in wliich were two
ancient swords, a helmet, and shield, with Greek inscriptions show-
ing they were made in the time of Alexander the Great, 330 years
before Christ. A few years since, an earthenware vessel containing
Roman copper coins, bearing the names of jNIaximinus, Dioclesian,
and Constantine, were dug up near the site of Old Panama on the
Isthmus. The interesting question is, how these coins of the third
and fourth centuries a.d. came there, though the probable explana-
tion is that they were the collection of a virtuoso who buried them
for safety when the city was sacked by the buccaneers.^ Recently a
stone, said to be covered with Tyrian inscriptions, has been found on
the Upper Amazon, which Dom Pedro II. lias caused to be deposited
in the imperial museum at Rio de Janeiro.
The flags, banners, or standards which these peoples planted upon
the shores of America in token of occupancy and sovereignty must ever
remain conjectural. Nothing concerning them has come down to us.
Beyond doubt, the first European banners displayed upon the
shores of the New World, of which there is any
authentic account, were those unfurled by Co-
lumbus, when he landed upon the small outly-
ing island of St. Salvador, Oct. 12, 1492, which,
fortunately, have been described by his son:
" Columbus, dressed in scarlet, first stepped on
shore from the little boat which bore him from
his vessels, bearing the royal standard of Spain
emblazoned with the arms of Castile and Leon
fa turretted and embattled castle or, on a field
The standard of Spain, 1492. , „ ^, ^., , , ^n
(J^dm lor Castile, quarterly on a field argent, a
1 Lossing's History of the United States. ^ Panama Echo.
FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES.
169
The Caravel iii which Columbus di;
covered America.
From a drawing attributed to him in the 1499
' Epistola Christoforo Columbi.'
lion rampant gules for Leon] in his own hand, followed by the Pinzons
in their own boats, each bearing the banner of the expedition ; viz.,
a white flag with a green cross, having on
each side the letters F and Y, surmounted
by golden crowns." ^
In 1497, Vespucci, on his first voyage,
discovered the mainland at Yucatan.
In 1498, Columbus discovered the con-
tinent, and planted the Spanish banners
at the mouth of the Orinoco, supposing
it to be an island on the coast of Asia.
He lived and died in ignorance of the
real grandeur of his discoveries, while
Americus Vespucius, a Florentine, who
explored the eastern coast of South Amer-
ica north of the Orinoco, a year later,
made the first formal announce-
ment to the world of the great discovery,
in 1507, and thus gave a name to the new continent of the west.^
At the court of England, " there was great talk of the undertaking
of Columbus, which was affirmed to be a thing more divine than
human, and his fame and report increased in
the hearts of some of the king's subjects a great
flame of desire to attempt something alike nota-
ble." Thus inspired. King Henry VII., of Eng-
land, March 5, 1496, issued a patent to John
Cabot and his three sons, Lewis, Sebastian, and
Sancius, to sail early in May, 1497, with five
ships, " under the royal banners and ensigns, to
all parts, countries, and seas, of the east, of the
west, and of the north, and to seek out and dis-
cover whatsoever isles, countries, renions, and
provinces in what part of the world soever they might be, which before
this time had been unknown to Christians." The kins: save them
further license, " to set up the royal banners and ensigns in the coun-
tries, places, or mainland newly found by them," and to conquer,
occupy, and possess them as his vassals and lieutenants.^
1 Narrative of Don Fernando ; Irving's Life of Columbus.
2 Vespucius (lid not himself give name. See Major, in Archeologia, vol. xl., on Map
of Leonardo da Vinci. See notes to De Costa's article on the Lenox Globe, Magazine of
American History, 1879.
3 See patent in Latin in Hakluyt's Dion's Voyages. London, 1860. Fcedera, xii. 1472.
Expeditionary Banner of
Coliuubus.
17U oKKilN AM) I'KnCKKSs (>r TIH:
The patentees liaving to arm and furnish their vessels, to buy
victuals, and to ijrovide all things necessary at their own cost, were not
able to avail themselves of the royal permission until more than a year
after it was issued, and did not sail from Bristol until May, 141)7. It is
asscrtcil that the expedition comprised four vessels, but we only know
with certainty that the admiral's ship was called the Matthew, that
slie was the first English vessel that touched our American shores,
and the oidy one that returned in safety to Bristol. Belative to the
cour.se which the Cabots followed on this voyage, we have no definite
information. Formerly it was supposed that they made their landfall
near a cape of the island of Newfoundland, but a more careful ex-
amination of the known facts has induced Baron Humboldt and
recent writers to believe that what they called ' Prima Vista,' June
24, 1497, must be found in Labrador, in 56° or 58° north latitude.
It is stated that they sailed along the coast about three hundred
leagues to the south. The short time they were absent from England
— about ninety days — renders this doubtful. Tliey could hardly
have performed so long a coasting voyage unless in the line of their
return route to the northward and eastward.
The Matthew arrived at Bristol early in August, for there is an
entry in the privy-purse accounts of Henry VII., dated "Aug. 10,
1497," in which the king says, " that he has given a reward of ten
pounds to hym tlmt found the new isle ; " ^ and Lorenzo Pasqualigo,
under date "London, Aug. 23, 1497," announces to his brothers in
Venice the return of John Cabot from his voyage of discovery, and
that he had found at a distance of seven hundred leagues in the west a
firm land, along which he had coasted for the space of three hundred
leagues, not having met a living person at the points where he had
landed, but still having observed there some traces of inhabitants, —
trees notched, and nets for catching game. On his return, he had
seen on his right hand two islands, where however he had not wished
to go on shore, on account of the failure of his provisions ; he had
returned to Bristol after a voyage of three months, having left in the
lands which he had discovered a grand cross, with the banner of Eng-
land and that of St. ]\Iark of Venice.
If this l)e true, then, under King Henry's patent, and orders " to
set up his royal banners and ensigns in the countries, &c., newly
found," it is probable that the English standards and ensigns, with
the Venetian banner of St. Mark, were the first ever planted by any
European nation upon the shores of Xorth America since those of
1 Exceqtta Histoiica, p. 113.
FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES. 171
the Xortlimen, and that they were set up a year earlier than Cohnnbus
raised the castles and lions of Castile and Leon at the mouth of the
Orinoco. Indeed Pasqualigo, in the letter already quoted, says, " The
discoverer of these places planted on his newfoundland a large cross,
with one flag of England and one of St. Mark, by reason of his being
a Venetian, so that our banner has floated very far afield."
The Cabots believed they had discovered portions of Asia, and so
proclaimed it. But the more extensive discoveries of a second voyage
corrected this view, and revealed nothing but a wild and barbarous
coast, stretching through 30 degrees of latitude, and forming an im-
passable barrier to the ricli possessions of China which they hoped to
reach. Doctor Asher, a German writer, in his work on Hudson,
published in London by the Hakluyt Society in 1860, observes, " The
displeasure of Cabot involves the scientific discovery of a new world.
He was the first to recognize that a new and unknown continent was
lying, as one vast barrier, between Western Europe and Eastern Asia."
The voyages of these enterprising mariners along the entire At-
lantic coast of the present United States, and along the whole extent
of a great continent, in which at this time the English race and lan-
guage prevail and flourish, has always been considered as the true
beginning, the foundation and corner-stone, of all the English claims
and possessions in the northern half of America.
English flags were the first which were planted along these shores,
and Englishmen were the first of modern Europeans who with their
own eyes surveyed the border of that great assemblage of countries
in which they were destined to become so prominent; and were also
the first to put their feet upon it. The history of each one of the
chain of States stretching along the western shores of the Atlantic
begins with Sebastian Cabot and his expedition of 1498.^
On the map of the eastern coast of North America by Juan de la
Cosa, in the year 1500, the discoveries of the Cabots are marked by
English standards, while the Spanish possessions of Cuba and other
West India Islands are similarly marked with Spanish, and the Azores
with the Portuguese, standards.
Verrazano saw the coast in 1524, but the expedition commanded
by John Rut, in 1527, after Cabot, was the second expedition which
sailed along the entire east coast of the United States, as far south as
1 M. D'Avezac, in a letter to Dr. Woods, dated "Paris, Dec. 15, 1868," advocates
John Cabot's discovery of North America in 1494, and that he kept his discovery secret,
to escape the exclusive pretensions of Spain and Portugal, until he had obtained the letters-
patent from Henry VII., signed March 5, 1496, and returned from his voyage in August,
1496. See Maine Hist. Coll., vol. i., new series.
17-2
OETOTN AND l'i:< m;KI:ss OF THE
Carolina, and was the last oHicial enteqtrise of the English in our
watt-rs until ihc i-xiietlititm of Sir John Hawkins in I'llio.
J.a€l»s Jlcores •^
CVreutc C*utcro
Tf)eEast- Coast ofNortfj-ATOcrica&yJuan dela Cosamtf)eyear 1500,
On the Verrazano map of 1529, in
are three flags placed to indicate the
d^y. da fort una
^-^ y. da lormenlo
^ Sam Johan
<^'' Sam Pedro
^^^'^ydosjaves
'i^,_^ ° O c. dasgamas
"7_---^ c. de bottvenlura
"■ ^■'Wavenlura
■'"^'"'c.dom
Q Ojy.defreyluis
b. de sanla ciria
y.dosbocal}ias
b.dacornc*'ic'i»
C.da el^fra
R.daspatas
(0 H . de Sam francisquo
c.Bafo
^.Tuajohsi
Nova Scotia.Newfounblandan^LabraJior
by Pe5roRg\nel ma&cln about 1505.
the Propaganda, Rome, there-
claims of Francis I. in North
America, and colored blue,
which about that time was
made the color of France, in
opposition to the white flag
of England. These flags have
no device whatever.^
There is preserved in the
Royal Library at jMunich a
map of Nova Scotia, New-
foundland, &c., which has on
it in great letters, " Pedro
Reinel a fez;" that is, Pedro
Reiuel made it. Reinel was
a Portuguese pilot of great
fame, who, like many Port-
uguese, entered the Spanish
service some time after 1522.
The language of the map is
1 Am. His. Mag., August, 1878, Da Costa on Ver. Map.
FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES. 173
Portuguese, it presents only Portuguese discoveries, and shows the arms
and flags of Portugal, but not of Spain. .From these circumstances it is
probable that the map was made by Eeinel in Portugal before he en-
tered the service of Spain, and probably soon after the voyage of the
Cortereals and Cabral. We may therefore assign it to the year 1505.
Peschal gives it the date of 1504. The cape which was called on
the map of 1500 ' Cavo de Anglaterra,' or ' Cape of England,' is here
for the first time named ' Cavo Baso ' (the flat cape), a name which is
of Portuguese origin. The English, who did not understand the
meaning of the Portuguese word, afterwards changed it to Cape Pace,
which has no meaning in this connection.
During the reigns of Henry VII. and Henry VIII. several expe-
ditions were made by the English to the northeast of America. Their
leading motive in those expeditions was the hope of finding a shorter
passage to the rich countries of Eastern Asia. The last English ex-
pedition of this kind, in 1536, ended with such loss of life, and other
disasters, that a most unfavorable impression appears to have been
made by it on the nation. After this, for nearly fifty years, the
English entirely abandoned the east coast of America.
It was not until the twentieth year of the reign of Queen Elizabeth,
and eighty years after the discoveries of Cabot, that healthy efforts
to found colonies in the new world were matured by the English.
In June, 1578, Sir Humphry Gilbert, a step-brother of Sir Walter
Ealeigh, obtained a liberal patent or grant from the Queen. Raleigh
gave him the aid of his hand and fortune; and, as early as 1579,
Gilbert sailed for America with a small squadron, accompanied by
his step-brother. Heavy storms and Spanish war vessels compelled
them to return, and the scheme for a time was abandoned. Four
years afterwards, 1583, Gilbert sailed with another squadron, and
after a series of disasters reached the harbor of St. John, in New-
foundland. There he set up a pillar with the English arms upon it,
and proclaimed the sovereignty of the queen. Proceeding to explore
the coast southward, after being beaten by tempests off the shore of
Nova Scotia and Maine, and losing his largest ship, he turned his
vessel toward England, and during a September gale his little bark,
the Squirrel, of ten tons, went down with all on board, and only one
vessel of the expedition reached England.
In 1584, Ealeigh obtained a patent for all the lands in America
between the Santee and the Delaware Eivers, and sent Philip Amidas
and Arthur Barlow to explore the American coast. They approached
the shores of Carolina in July, and took possession of the islands in
174 OKKJIN AM) I'HOGRESS OF THE
I'aiulii'o :ni(l Allieiiiailc Sounds in the niuiKj dI" (^hiccn Elizabeth.
The}' ix'Uiained a lew weeks exi)k)rin^ and tiallickin^, and returned
to England with two Indians, named Manteo and Wanehese. The
glowing accounts of the uewly discovered country filled Raleigh's
heart with joy. The Queen tleclared the event one of the most glori-
ous of her reign, and, in memorial of her unmarried state, she gave
the name of ' A'irginia ' to the enchanting region.
April r.>, 1585, Ivaleigh despatched a fleet of seven vessels under
the command of Sir liichard Grenville, with a governor and colonists,
for the purpose of making a permanent set-
tlement of the inviting land. A series of
disasters followed, and, induced by misfor-
tunes and fear, the emigrants abandoned
their settlement on Eoauoke Island, and
were all conveyed to England by Sir Fran-
cis Drake, June, 1586. Ilaleigh, undis-
mayed by the result of his first attempt,
despatched a band of agriculturists and ar-
Raleigh's Ship, 1585. '^ '^ ^
tisans with their families, April 26, 158/,
to found an industrial state in Virginia. This attempt at coloniza-
tion, like the others, proved a failure, and a century after the dis-
coveries of Columbus and Cabot there M-as no European settlement
upon the North American continent.
Twelve years after the failure of Raleigh's colonization efforts,
Bartholomew Gosnold sailed in a small bark directly across the
Atlantic for the American coast, and after a voyage of seven weeks
discovered the continent. May 14, 1602, near Penobscot. Sailing
southward, he landed upon a sandy point which he called ' Cape Cod,'
and afterwards discovered Nantucket, Martha's Vineyard, and the
gi'oup of islands known as Elizabeth's Islands, which he named in
honor of his sovereign. Upon an islet in a tiny lake he built a fort
and storehouse, but, owing to dissensions and the want of supplies,
he returned to England in June, and was prosecuted by Raleigh upon
his return.
In 1605, Captain George Weymouth entered the Sagadahock, and
took formal possession of the country in the name of King James ;
and the same year De Monts, a wealthy French Huguenot, organized a
French settlement at Port Royal (now ^Vnnapolis), and called the terri-
tory around it 'Acadia.' In 1606, the Plymouth Company obtained
their charter, and soon after despatched an agent to examine North
Virginia. In 1607, Jamestown was founded, and in 1607, Popham,
FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES. 175
with one hundred emigrants, landed at the mouth of the Kennebec,
where they erected a stockade, a storehouse, and a few huts. All
but forty-five returned to England in the vessels, those who remained
named the settlement ' St. George.' A terrible winter ensued. Lack-
ing courage to brave the perils of the wilderness, the emigrants
abandoned the settlement, and returned to England in the spring
of 1608.1
Erom the foregoing it will be seen that every attempt of English-
men during the reign of Queen Elizabeth to colonize the new world
proved abortive, and it was not until the accession of her successor,
James I., and union of the kingdoms of England and Scotland, that
her flag was permanently planted upon its shores.
COLONIAL AND PEOVINCIAL ELAGS.
1634-1766.
The flags used by the American colonies prior to their separation
from the mother country would naturally be those of England, though
such does not appear to have been invariably the case. Several flags,
differing more or less from the standards and ensigns of that kingdom,
seem to have been at times in use.
The ancient national flag of England, the cross of St. George, a
white banner with a red cross, was the universal badge of the Eng-
lish soldiery as early as the fourteenth century, and was worn by
them over their armor, and blazoned on their shields. Why St.
George was constituted the patron saint of England has been and
continues to be a puzzle to antiquarians, but " St. George for Eng-
land," or " Merrie England," was a usual war-cry, and his banner
above all others was the national banner of Englishmen. What-
1 The English claimed dominion over a belt of territorj'' extending from Cape Fear,
in Noi'tli Carolina, to Halifax, in Nova Scotia, and indefinitely westward. Tliis was
divided into two districts. One extended from the vicinity of New York City northward
to the present southern boundary of Canada, including the whole of New England, and
westward of it, and was called ' North Virginia.' This territory was granted to a company
of "knights, gentlemen, and merchants" in the west of England, called the 'Plymoutli
Company.' The other district extended from the mouth of the Potomac southward to Cape
Fear, and was called 'South Virginia.' It was granted to a company of "noblemen,
gentlemen, and merclmnts," chiefl}' residents of London, called the ' London Company.'
Tlie intermediate domain of almost two hundred miles was a dividing line, so broad tliat
disputes about temtory could not occur, as neither company was allowed to make settle-
ments more than fifty miles beyond its own boundary. — Lossbujs History of the United
Sillies.
176
oRirnx AND riJocuKss or the
ST CtORCES CSOSS ST ANDREWS CB0S5
UNION OR KIN6S COLORS lioi
ever other iKiniicrs were carried, it was always loreinost in the fielil.^
Adoitteil a.s the national standard and ensi;;n, it continued such until
A.D. KiOCt, when King James I., hy
his royal proclamation,'* united
with it the cross of St. Andrew,
a diagonal wliite cross on a lilue
ground (which had been the flag
and badge of tlie Scots from tlie
time of the Crusades), as a dis-
tinguishing flag, for all his sub-
jects travelling by sea.
This union, in 1606, of the
crosses of the two kingdoms,
\\hich had been united by the
accession of James in 1603, was
called the ' king's colors.' They
were required to be displayed
from the main-top.s of all British vessels, — those of South Britain
(England), however, were to carry the St. George's cross, and those
of North Britain (Scotland), the St. Andrew's cross, in their fore-tops,
to designate which section of the United Kingdom they hailed from ;
the union flag taking precedence in the main-top and at the after-part
of the vessel.^
Eush worth says ^ that " the union flag, that is, the St. George's
and St. Andrew's crosses joined together, was still to be reserved as
an ornament proper to the king's own ships, and ships in his imme-
diate service and pay, and none other. English ships were to bear
the red cross, Scotch tlie white."
The first grant of the crown of England under which effectual
settlements were made in North America was dated April 10, 1606,
the very year the crosses of the two kingdoms were united by royal
proclamation. By this charter all the country in America between
latitude 34° and 45° north, was called Virginia. Two companies
were constituted, one called the ' London Company,' the other the
' Plymouth Company.' To the first named M-as assigned all that por-
tion of this vast territory lying between the parallels of 34° and 41°
1 Miss Strickland, in her 'Queens of England,' says : "Henry II. married Eleanor
of Aquitaine, and through her, the ancestress of the royal line, may be traced arariorial
bearings and a war-cry whose origin has perplexed the readers of English history. The
pati-on saint of England, St. George, was adopted from the Dukes of Aquitaine, as the
Duke of Aquitaine's war-cry was ' St. George for the puissant duke.' His crest was a
leopard, and his descendants in England bore leopards on their shields till after the time
of Edward I."
2 See ante. ^ See ante, p. 149. * Rushworth, 1634, vol. ii. p. 247.
FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES. 177
north latitude, under the name of ' South Vh-ginia ; ' to the latter, all
lying to the north of 41°, called * Xorth Virginia.' Such was the vague
extent of the old dominion of Virginia. ^
After the execution of Charles I., the new council of states, on the
22d of February, 16-48-49, passed a resolution, "that the ships at
sea in the service of the states shall bear the
red cross in a white flag. That the engraving
upon the sterns of the ships shall be the arms
of England and Ireland in two escutcheons,
as is used in the seals." Soon after we read
of vessels sailing under the Long Parliament
flag, which bore on a blue field the yellow-
Irish harp, with the St. George's cross next
the staff in a white canton. Under the Pro-
'tectorate we find a blue flag in use, bearing
in the field the two shields of England and
Long Parliament Flag. Ireland ; viz., arcjcnt, a cross gules and azure,
a, harp or. These were joined together in a horseshoe shape, and
surrounded by a white label of three folds, the motto in black letters,
" Floreat Res Publica," and outside, two golden branches of laurel,
leaved green. A flag of tbis period, preserved as late as 1803 in one
of the storehouses of Chatham Dockyard, bore the same shields
slightly separated on a red field, and surrounded by branches of palm
and laurel.^
On the fleet which restored Charles II. to the throne of his father,
the royal cipher took the place of the state's arms, and tlie harp
was removed from the Long Parliament flag, which they also bore, as
having been instrumental in the restoration of that body during the
previous year. Soon after this, under James, Duke of York, who had
been appointed the lord high admiral of England, Ireland, Wales,
and of the dominions of ISTew England, Jamaica, and Virginia, in
America, we find the flags of the navy to have been the royal stand-
ard ; the lord high admiral's flag, then, as now, a foul anchor or, on a
red field; the union jack or flag; and the English red ensign, cantoned
with the St. George's cross on a white field.
During the civil war, the colors and ensigns were principally red for
the royalists, orange for the parliamentarians, and blue for the Scotch,
— and all cantoned with a red St. George's cross on a white field.
The complete union of the kingdoms was not accomplished until
1 See uote, ante, p. 175.
2 See p. 17. Ensigns, standards, &e., at the funeral of Cromwell.
12
178 OI{I(;iN AND I'K'OCIJKSS OF THE
1707, ii liniulreil years after this \inion of crosses in the king's colors,
avIkmi niuK'r Queen Anne, tlie kingdom of Great Britain, inchuling
England, Wales, and Scotland, was established by treaty, and the first
union jiarl lament assembled.
The act of Parliament which ratified this nnion of the kingdoms,
Jan. 16, 1707, ordained " that the ensigns armorial of onr king-
dom of Great Britain" shall be "the crosses of St. George and St.
.Vndrew conjoined (the same as heretofore described as the king's
colors), to be used on all flags, banners, standards, and ensigns both
at sea and land," " and the ensigns described in the margent hereof
(the crosses or king's colors conjoined in the upper corner of a crimson
banner, since known as the ' meteor flag of England '), to be worn on
board all ships or vessels belonging to any of our subjects whatso-
ever." These flags were familiarly known as union flags, from their
typifying the union of England and Scotland, and were commonly
used by the American colonies in connection with other devices, until
their rupture with the mother country. Thus early the idea of a
union flag became familiar to them.
As the king's colors had been authoritatively prescribed for subjects
travelling by sea only, it is probable the St. George's cross continued
to he very generally used by the English subjects of Great Britain on
land until the act of 1707, for the I'arliament of the Commonwealth
under Cromwell adopted the old standard.
Ireland was conquered in 1691, but was not incorporated into
the kingdom until Jan. 1, 1801, long after our revolution, and then
the cross of St. Patrick, a red diagonal saltire, was fimbriated on the
white cross of St. Andrew and conjoined to the other two, and thus
and then the union jack of the United Kingdom assumed its present
form. The present ensign of Great Britain was never worn by any
of the American colonies.^
The garrison flag of Great Britain is the union jack or flag pre-
scribed Jan. 1, 1801.
One of the British flags surrendered at Yorktown, and presented
to AVashington by Congress, was the same as the king's colors, estab-
lished by James I., excepting that in the centre of the cross there is
a white square with a crown above the garter. The garter is inscribed
w^ith the usual motto, " Honi soit qvA mal y pense" and encloses a full-
blown rose. This flag is now in the museum at Alexandria, Va. It
^ The proclamation declaring what ensigns, colors, &c., are to be borne by the sub-
jects of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland may be found in full in the
British Naval Chronicle, vol. v. 1801.
FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES. 179
is made of heavy twilled silk, and is six feet long and five feet four
inches wide.^
The red cross of St. George was, without doubt, hoisted over the
Mayflower when she disembarked our Pilgrim Fathers at Plymouth in
1620, as it was the common sea-ensign of English ships of that period.
Belonging to South Britain, she may also have displayed the king's
colors from her main-top, and a St. George's cross at the fore, as
required by the king's proclamation of 1606.
We learn from the records of Massachusetts that the red cross of
St. George was in use in that colony in 1634, if not earlier.
In November of that year, complaint was entered " that the en-
signs at Salem had been defaced by Mr. Endicott's cutting out one
part of the red cross. Eoger Williams is accused of having agitated
the matter, and therefore accountable for the trouble it occasioned.
The case was examined as a high-handed proceeding which might be
construed into one of rebellion to England, on the complaint of Mr.
Iiichard Browne, ruling elder of the church at Watertown, and others,
before the Court of Assistants. The court issued an attachment against
Ensign Eichard Davenport, then the ensign-bearer of Salem, whose
colors had been mutilated, to appear at the next court, which was not
held until a year after his flag was so mutilated. It was then shown
that the mutilation complained of was done, not from disloyalty to
the flag, but from an entire conscientious conviction that it was idola-
trous to allow it to remain, and that having been given to the King
of England by the Pope, it was a relic of anti-Christ. Endicott was
Judged to be guilty of a great offence, inasmuch as he had ' with rash
indiscretion, and by his sole authority, committed an act giving occa-
sion to the court of England to think ill of them,' for which he was
deemed worthy of admonition, and should be disabled from bearing
any public office for one year." ^
The provincial authorities were, however, doubtful of the lawful
use of a cross in the ensign, and, had there been no fear of a royal
governor, little would have been heard about this mutilation of the
colors at Salem ; for, December 19, all the ministers except Mr. Ward,
of Ipswich, were assembled at Boston, by request of the governor, to
consider, among other things, " whether it was lawful to carry a cross
in the banners." The opinion of the meeting on that subject being
divided, the matter was deferred to another meeting, in March, at
which Mr. Endicott was called upon to answer. This meeting was
able to agree no better than the previous one ; and the record con-
1 Lossing has an engraving of it in his Field-Book of the American Revolution.
2 Massachusetts Records.
180 oK'hiiN AM> 1'i;(>(;ki;ss of riii';
tinues, "Because tlie court could not agree aliout tlie tliin<^, whether
the ensiuns slioukl be hud by in that regard tliat many refused to
i'oHow them, tlie whole case was rel'erred to the next general court,
and the commissioners for military affairs gave orders in the mean
time that all ensigns should be laid aside."
In the interim, a new flag, having for an I'niblcin the red and while
roses in place of the cross, was proposed, and letters in relation to the
matter were written to England, for the purj)ose of oljtaining " the
judgment of the most wise and godly there." Tliis project seems not
to have met the approval of the wise and godly in England, for in
December, 1635, it is recorded that the military commissioners
" appointed colors for every company," leaving out the cross in all of
them, and appointing that the king's arms should be put into them
and in the colors of Castle Island, Boston.
All ships, in passing the fort at Castle Island, were bound to ob-
serve certain regulations ; but after these occurrences, the fort, wearing
for a time no flag to signify its real character, presented the appear-
ance of a captured or deserted fortress.
Under these circumstances, in the spring o\' 1(33(3, the ship St. Pat-
rick, Captain Palmer, was brought to by Lieutenant Moms, the officer
in command of the fort, and made to strike her colors. Captain
Palmer complained to the authorities of the conduct of the com-
mander of the fort as a flagrant insult both to his flag and country.
They therefore ordered the commander of the fort before them, and,
in the presence of the master of the ship, informed him that he had
no authority to do as he had done ; and he was ordered to make such
atonement as Captain Palmer should demand. The captain was very
lenient, only requiring an acknowledgment from the lieutenant of his
error on board of his ship, " that so all the ship's company might receive
satisfaction." This Lieutenant Morris submitted to, and all parties
became quieted ; but within a few days another circumstance occurred
respecting the fort, with a different result. The mate of a ship, called
the Hector, pronounced all the people traitors and rebels, because they
had discarded the king's colors, and was brought before the court
and made to acknowledge his offence, and sign a paper to that effect.
These occurrences troubled the authorities lest reports should be
carried to England that they had rebelled,^ and that their contempt
of the English flag was proof of the allegation. To counteract such
representations, Mr. Vane, the governor, called together the captains
1 A seafaring man, approaching in his ship, having noticed tliat the flag displayed
was destitute of a cross, " spoke to some one on board the sliip that we liad not the
king's colors, but were all traitors aud rebels." — Smith's Hist. Kewharyport.
FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES. 181
of the ten ships then remaining in harbor, and desired to know if
they were offended at what had happened, and, if so, what they re-
quired in satisfaction. Tliey frankly told him that if questioned on
their return to England " what colors they saw here," a statement of
the bare facts in relation to it might result to their disadvantage.
Therefore they would recommend that the king's colors might be set
up in the fort. The governor and his advisers arrived at the same
conclusion, and directed to give warrant to spread the king's colors at
Castle Island, when ships passed by.
There being no king's colors to be found to display at the fort,
the difficulty was met by two of the shipmasters offering to present
a set ; but so fearful were the authorities of tolerating a symbol of
idolatry, they declined receiving the colors thus offered until they had
taken the advice of Mr. Cotton in regard to them. It was finally
concluded that, although they were of the decided opinion that the
cross in the ensign was idolatrous, and therefore ought not to be had
in it, nevertheless, as the fort was the king's, and maintained in his
name, his colors might be used there. In accordance with this
opinion, the governor accepted the colors of Captain Palmer, sending
him, in requital, three beaver-skins, and directed Mr. Dudley to give
warrant to Lieutenant Morris, the commander of the fort, to spread
the king's colors whenever ships were passing.^
This tempest in a tea-pot having been satisfactorily adjusted, the
king's colors were continued at the castle, but were excluded from
use elsewhere in the colony, through the religious prejudices of the
people, and the flag bearing the king's arms continued in use until
the establishment of the Commonwealth.
In 1638, the subject of forming a confederacy of the New England
colonies was discussed ; but, owing to divers differences, the matter
was delayed.
Twenty-three years after the planting of Plymouth, in 1643, the
colonies of Plymouth, Massachusetts, and Connecticut were united in
a league called " The United Colonies of New England." The de-
clared object was defence against the French, Dutch, and Swedes, and
in all relations with foreigners the confederation acted, each colony
managing its domestic affairs. This was the first union on this conti-
nent. The union was declared to be perpetual, and the will of six of
the eight commissioners chosen (two for each colony) was to be bind-
ing on all. "\Vc d(_) not, however, learn that any common flag was
adopted until several years later (1686), when Governor Andros re-
ceived one from the king. In 1645, the people of Massachusetts,
1 See Wiutlirop'.s Journal, vol. i. pp. 141, 154, 156 ; vol. ii. p. 344.
182
ORIGIN AM> l'lJ(Miin:ss OF IIIK
tlirouj^'h its legislature, demanded thai a negro brought from Africa
should be surrendered and sent to his native country.
In IT).")!, tlie English Parliament revived and adnjjted the old stand-
ard of tlic cross of St. George as the colors of England, and the (len-
eral Court of jMassachusetts ordcrcil,
" as the Court conceive the old Eng-
lish colors now used by the Parlia-
ment to be a necessary badge of
distinction betwixt the English and
other nations in all jihiccs of tlie
world, till the state of England alter
the same, which we very much desire,
we, being of the same nation, have
therefore ordered that the captain of
the Castle shall advance the aforesaid
colors of England upon all necessary
occasions."
In the 'New England Historical
and Genealogical Pegister' for 1871
there is an interesting account of a
local company of cavalry raised in
1659, just before the restoration of
Charles IT., by the counties of Essex,
Suffolk, ]\Iiddlesex, Mass., and hence
called ' Tlic Three County Troopl
which, according to the records, con-
standard of the Three County Troop, 1659. ^-j^^g^ ^^^ existence until 1677, and
possibly longer. The annexed drawing of its standard, and bill of
its cost, is from an entry in a herald painter's book of the time of
Charles I., preserved in the British Museum.
Worke don for New England
For painting in oyle on both sides a Cornett one rich crimson
damask, with a hand and sword, and invelloped with a scarfe
about the arms of gold, black and siUver
For a plaine cornett Staffe, with belte, boote and swible at
first penny
For silke of crimson and sillver fring and for a Cornett String
For crimson damask
[£2. 0. G]
1. 0.
0
1.11.
0
11.
0
£5. 2.
6
(Note. — The first item, '£2. 0. 6,' is not given, but is deduced from the
adding. The term ' at first penny ' may be the same as ' at first cost.')
FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES. 183
Tlie existence of this troop is clearly shown by the Massachusetts
records of 1659-77, and there can be no doubt the drawing repre-
sents its standard. We may imagine it ordered from England be-
fore King Philip's war, and that under its folds the best soldiers of
the three counties took part in the contest. Two copies from the
drawing agree in representing the inscription on the flag as " thre
comity trom," which is supposed to be a mistake, and tliat the flag
really bore the words " Three County Troop/' the name of the company
for which it was ordered.
The Hon. Xathauiel Saltonstall, "late of Haverhill," one of the
council for the colonies, on the 31st of May, 1684, wrote to Captain
Thomas Noyes, of Newbury, Mass., con-
j ) ^ cerning the colors of a company of foot com-
manded by the latter, as follows : —
" In y^ Major General's letter, I have or-
dered also to require you, which I herein Jo,
with all convenient speed, to provide a flight of
colors for your foot company, ye ground field or
flight (fly) whereof is to be green, with a red
cross with a white field in y® angle, according to
the antient customs of our own English nation,
and the English plantations in America, and our
Colors of Captain Noyes's otvn pyrictise in oiir shijis and other vessels. The
number of bullets to be put into your colors
for distinction may be left out at present without damage in the making of
them.
" So fails not,
" Your friend and servant,
" X Saltonstall." ^
The flag of New England, in 1686, under the administration of Sir
Edmund Andros, as appears by a drawing of it in the British State
Paper Office, was the cross of St. George, the king's colors of the time,
borne on a white field occupying the whole flag, the centre of the cross
emblazoned with a yellow or gilt crown over the cipher of the sover-
eign. King James I.
The early colonial documents of New York have several mentions
of flags in use in that colony in the latter half of the seventeenth and
the beginning of the eighteenth century.
Augustin Herman, Sept. 10, 1650, brought with him from Holland
a flag for the burgher's corps of New Amsterdam ; but Stuy vesant,
1 Coffin's History of Newbuiy, credited to Robert Adams's Manuscript.
184 ()Ki(;iN AM) i'i:oc;uE.s.s uf thh
who, he wrote, was doing as he pleased, " would not allow it to be
carried."
The patroon and his codirectors of the " colonic of Rensselaerswyck "
complained, Jan. IT, lOSi'i, that "their flag had been hauled down
in opposition to the will and protest of their ofticers." What that
obnoxious flag was we have now no means of ascertaining ; but the
directors of the chamber of Amsterdam reply, " they are ignorant
where the flag was doN\Ti."
An English flag was displayed with considerable Ijravado, Jan.
11, 1664, by one John Schott, in sight of tlie astonished burghers of
New Amsterdam. " Captain Jolm Schott," says the record, " came to
the ferry in the town of Breucklin [Brooklyn] with a troop of English-
men mounted on horseback, with great noise, marching with sounding
trumpets," &c., and hoisted the English flag ; and, as soon as John
Schott arrived, they uncovered their heads and spoke in English.
Secretary Van Euyven asked the captain to cross over, to which
John Schott answered, " No ! Let Stuyvesant come over with a hun-
dred soldiers. I shall wait for him here."
In September of that year the red cross of St. George floated in.
triumph over the fort, and the name of ' New Amsterdam ' was changed
to 'New York.' Early in October, 1664, New Netherland was ac-
knowledged a part of the British realm, and Colonel liichard Nicolls,
its conqueror, became governor.
The journal of a voyage to New York in 1679-80, by Jasper Dan-
kers and Peter Sluyter, translated from the original Dutch manuscript
and published by the Long Island Historical So-
ciety in 1867, has several fac-simile engravings
from the original drawings. One of these, a curi-
ous picture of New York in 1679, has the union
flag or king's colors flying over the fort, and an-
other, a view of New York from the north, has a
rude drawing of a sloop sailing along with flags
at the masthead, bowsprit end, and stern, all bear-
ing the St. George cross in a white canton.
Tlie same writers, under date Boston, Thursday,
"FortSew YirtinTerl^' ^^^^^ ^3, 1680, givc us a precise description of
the flag then in use in that colony, by which it
seems those colonists' objection to the cross as an idolatrous symbol,
nearly half a century earlier, still existed. Our voyagers say : " New
England is now described as extending from tlie Fresh [Connecticut]
River to Cape Cod and thence to Kennebec, comprising three provinces
FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES.
185
St. George's Cross, 1679.
or colonies, — Fresh River, or Connecticut, Rhode Island and the other
islands to Cape Cod, and Boston, which stretches from thence north.
They are subject to no one, but ac-
knowledge the king of England for
their honeer [probably hecr, that is,
lord, is intended], and therefore no
ships enter unless tliey have Eng-
lish passports or commissions. . . .
Each province chooses its own gov-
ernor from the magistracy, and the
magistrates are chosen from the
principal inhabitants, merchants, or
planters. They are all Independent in matters of religion, if it can
be called religion; many of them perhaps more for the purpose of
enjoying the benefit of its privileges than for any regard to truth
and godliness. I observed that while the English flag or color has a
red ground with a small white field in the uppermost corner where
there is a red cross, they have dispensed with this cross in their color,
and preserved the rest." The diary gives a poor and perhaps preju-
diced account of the morality of the community, which it would be
out of place to copy here.
Messrs. Brooke and NicoU, Nov. 13, 1696, in a paper addressed to
his Majesty's Commissioners for Trade and Plantations, relating to the
requisites for the defence of New York, ask to be furnished with " six
large union flags, for his ma*>'®^ several forts " in that colony ; and,
Feb. 1, 1696-97, the lords of trade write Governor Fletcher, his
Majesty has ordered, with other stores that had been asked for, " six
union flags, which we doubt not the agents wiU accordingly take care
to see shipt."
It was soon seen that a special flag to designate the merchant ships
of the colonies, and to distinguish them from the king's ships, was
desirable ; accordingly we find, at the beginning of the eighteenth
century, the following report issuing from the Admiralty office, with a
drawino: of the flatr : —
"Admiralty Office, July 29, 1701.
" COUN'CIL ChAMDER, "VVlIITEIIALL, 31 Julv, 1701.
" Their Excellencies the Lords Justices in Council.
" Report of the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty : — Merchant ships
to wear no other Jack than that hereafter mentioned, viz. that worn by his
Majesty's ships, with the distinction of a white escutcheon in the middle
186 ()KI(;iX AND IMIOCIJKSS nV THE
thereof, and that said nuirk of distinction may extend itself to one-half the
depth of tlie -lack, and one-third part of tlie lly thereof, according to the
sample [drawiny] liurounto annexed.
(Signed) " ri:Mi!i{i)KE.
llAVKnsnAM.
LX Mitchell.
"The Lords Justices in Council order tliat the
(lovernoui-s of his Majesty's Plantations do oblige
the Connuanders of such merchant ships to which
they grant Commissions to wear no other Jack
than according to wliat is proposed by said rejMjrt :
And the Lords Commissioners of Trade anil I'lan-
Fiag ordered for the Merchant tations are to write to the Governours of his ]\laj-
Serviee in 1701. > t-.i - . .„ . . ,
esty s Plantations, signifying to them respectively
their Excellencies' pleasure herein, wdth notice that they have been further
pleased to order the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty to give neces-
sary directions on their part obliging the said ships to comply witli their
Excellencies' pleasure in this matter.
"JOHX POVEV.
" A true copy : W. Popple." ^
This flag was undoubtedly worn by the American colonial vessels
for many years, though we have no more than official mention of it,
and it is never depicted in the engravings of the time. All the pic-
tures of New England flags from 1700 to 1750 show a red or l)lue
ensign cantoned white, with a red St. George's cross, and having a
tree or globe in upper corner of the canton.
Lieutenant-Governor John Nanfan writes from New York, Dec. 29,
1701, to the Lords Commissioners for Trade and Plantations : " Since
my last to your Lordships of the 20th October, by ]\Ir. Penu, I have
the honor of your Lordships' letter of the 14th August, with their Ex-
cellencies tlie Lords Justices' order on the reading the report from the
lords of the admiralty relating to a flag of distinction from his Majesty's
ships of war to be worn by all ships that shall be commissionated by
the governors of his Majesty's Plantations, which I shall punctually
observe." J. Burchett writes to Mr. Popple from the admiralty office,
April 19, 1708, that the Lords, &c., instruct Lord Lovelace, the gov-
ernor of New York, " they have no objections to certain colors pro-
posed for privateers."
Among the instructions furnished to Eobert Hunter, governor of
1 The originals of tliese papers are in the records at the Massachusetts State House,
Boston, vol. Ixii., Maritime Affairs, p. 390.
FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES. 187
New York, dated Dec. 29, 1709, is the following : " Whereas great
inconveniences do happen by merchant ships and other vessels in the
plantations wearing colors borne by our ships of w^ar, nnder pretence
of commissions granted to them by the governors of the said planta-
tions, and that by trading under those colors not only amongst our
own subjects but also those of other princes and states, and commit-
ting divers irregularities, they do very much dishonor our service, for
prevention whereof you are to oblige the commanders of all such ships
to which you shall grant commission to wear no other jack than accord-
ing to the sample here described ; that is to say, such as is worn by
our ships of war, with the distinction of a white escutcheon in the
middle thereof, and that the said mark of distinction may extend it-
self one-half of the depth of the jack, and one-third of the fly thereof" ^
A similar order was included in the instructions of Francis Nichols,
the first royal governor of South Carolina, in 1720, and was undoubt-
edly forwarded to the governors of the other colonies.
The Lords of Trade to the Duke of Newcastle, under date Aug. 20,
1741, forwarded instructions to the Hon. George Clinton, governor of
New York, one of which orders colonial [war] vessels " to wear the same
ensign as merchant ships, and a red jack,^ with the union jack in a
canton at the upper corner next the staff."
Governor Clinton wrote the Duke of Bedford from New York, June
17, 1750, that the Greyhound man-of-war had fired on a vessel with
an intention of bringing her to, " she having a Birdgee flag hoisted ; "
a shot struck a young woman, Elizabeth Stibben by name, in the ves-
sel, so that she expired a few hours afterward. The vessel belonged to
" Colonel Eichetts, of the Jerseys, a liot-headed, rash young man, who
declared before he put off from the wharf he would wear that pendant
in defiance of the man-of-war." This affair caused no little excitement,
and was the occasion of considerable correspondence between the gov-
ernor, the commander of the Greyhound, and the magistrates, &c.
Tlie cross of* St. George, from its establishment, in 1651, by the
Commonwealth of England, continued in general use in the American
colonies with occasional variations throughout the seventeenth cen-
tury, and until tlie union flag of James I., devised for his English
and Scotch subjects in 1606, was prescribed by act of Parliament for
general use throughout the British dominions in 1707.^
1 Instructions to Governor Hunter, New York Colonial History, vol. v. p. 137.
2 See Account of Landing of British Troops at Boston, 1768.
3 The proverb, " Those that live in glass houses should not throw stones," is said
to have originated at the union of England and Scotland in 1606. Great numbers of
188
()KI<;iN AND I'KoiJRESS OF TllK
A crimson flag, tlie jack of which was a red St. George cross on a
white iiekl, was the ensign most generally in use in New England.
Sometimes a tree, at other times a hemisphere, was represented in the
upper canton next the stafl' formed liy the cross, and occasionally the
fly or field of the flag was Llue.
In a little book, something of the character of the Gotha Almanac,
entitled 'The Present State of the Universe,' by John lieauniont, Jr.,
printed at Luiidon by Benjamin IMotte, 1704, there is a picture of a
New England ensign, with a tree, like the one above described. An-
other book, entitled 'A General Treati-se of the Dominion and Laws
of the Sea,' &c., by Alexander Justice, Gent., printed at London for
S. & J. Sprint and J. Nicholson & Ed. Smith, 1705, has a folding plate
of national flags, among which there is a New England ensign of the
same character, a tracing of which is annexed. This plate calls the
English Ensign.
East India Company.
Scotfli Ensign.
Scotch Union Flag. Irish Ensign. New England Ensign.
From a Plate of National Flags in the ' Dominion of the Sea,' 1705.
English red ensign ' the Budge flag,' the meaning of \j-hich is not obvi-
ous ; perhaps a burgee flag.
Another work, published in 1701, has a representation of this
New England ensign ; and in yet another work there i.s a representa-
Scotsmen flocked to London. Buckingham hated the Scotcli bitterly, and encouraged
marauders to break the windows occupied by them. Some of the sufferers retaliated by
breaking the \\indows of the Duke's house, which had so many, it was called ' the glass
house.' The Duke of Buckingham complained to the king, and the monarch replied,
"Ah, Steenie ! Steenie ! those wha live in glass housen should be carefu' how they fling
stanes ! "
FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES.
189
tiou of the flag of the New England colonies, having a dark blue field,
with a red St. George cross on a white canton, while in the place
of the tree a half globe is represented. Lossing, in his ' Field-Book
of the American Eevolution,' gives a picture of a New England flag,
with the tree, copied from an old Dutch work representing the flags
of all nations, which is preserved in the library of the New York
Historical Society.
I have a French work on flags, published in a La Haye, 1737,
which describes a Pavilion cle Nouvelle AngleUrre en Amerique, " as
azure, on a canton argent, quartered
with the red cross of St. George, hav-
ing a globe in the first quarter," in
allusion to America, commonly called
the 'New World.' The illustration is
a fac-simile, reduced in size, of one
in this book.i
The earliest notice of a New Encr-
land flag emblematic of the union of
inore than one colony I have found
is that of 1686, heretofore described.^
The departure from the authorized
English flag, and assuming standards
of their own, evinces a feelincr of in-
^'"'' dependence among the colonies, while
the absence of a desire for separation is evident in the allegiance im-
plied by representing on them the colors of England, or, when from
tenderness of conscience they were left out, the substitution of the
arms of the king.
A green tree was the favorite emblem of Massachusetts, and ap-
peared on the coins of that colony as early as 1652.
By an order of the General Court in that year, a mint was estab-
lished, and it was ordered that all pieces of money should have a
double ring, with this inscription, " Massachusetts," and a tree in the
centre on one side, and " New England " and the year of our Lord on
the other. This was strictly adhered to by the mint-master, and
for thirty years all the coins now" known as pine-tree shillings, six-
pences, &c., bore the date 1652. The rudeness of the impressions on
these early coins may render it uncertain whether a pine-tree was
1 La Coniioissance des Pavilli)iis on Bannieres que la plupart des Nations arborent
en Mer, &c. A La Haye, chez Jaques Van den Kiebooni. 1737.
2 See ante, p. 183.
NOTA £LI,J& ANGiETiliatEen AjIEEiqiJE
i;)() OIJICIN AM) IMMXiUKSS (>F I'lli:
intended to be represented, or some other tree, though at Iciiutli it
received tlie name ul" one of the commonest tiihes of trees in New
Enghmd. Mr. Drake, in his ' History of lid.ston,' says, the tree on
the New Enghand flag, of whicli lie ;j,ives an ilhisiralion, "no more
resembles a pine-tree than a cabbage." The Ibllowing story con-
firms the idea that a pine-tree may not have been the; original
design : —
When Charles II. learned the colonies' assumption of one of his pre-
rogatives to coin money, he was very angry ; his wratli was, however,
appeased by Sir Charles Temple, a friend of the colony, who told him
they thought it no crime to coin money for their own use ; and, taking
some of the money from his pocket, handed it to the king, who asked
him what tree that was upon it. " That," replied Sir Charles, " is the
royal oak which jn-eserved your Majesty's life." His remark ])ut
the king in a good humor, and he lieard what Sir Charles had to say
in tlieir favor, calling them " a parcel of honest dogs." ^
This New England flag was undoulitcdly tlie earliest symbol of a
union of the colonies, and it probaljly went out of use after the adop-
tion of the union flag of King James, by the act of Parliament in
1707, for all the subjects of the British realm. That flag, with the
addition of a white sliield at the union of the crosses, was ordered
(see ante), in 1701, to be worn by all merchant vessels commissioned
by the colonial authorities of New England and New York, and, in
1720, by the merchant vessels of South Carolina; and tlie order was
doubtless extended to all the American colonies.
On Will Burgess's map of Boston, engraved in 1728, there are \nc-
tured four ships at anchor and a sloop under sail, all wearing ensigns
bearing the union jack of King James on a staff at the stern. One
of the ships is dressed with flags, and firing a salute ; another flies a
long coach-whip pennant at her main.
Sir William Pepperrell, commander of the expedition against
Louisbourg, in 1745, furnished the motto for the expeditionary flag;
viz., "Nil desperandum, Christo duce," — "Never despair, Christ leads
us," — which gave the enterprise the air of a crusade. Among those
engaged against Louisbourg was William Yaughan, a graduate of
Harvard Univer.sity, holding the honorary rank of lieutenant-colonel.
He conducted the first column through the woods, within sight of the
city, and saluted it with three cheers. He headed a detachment con-
1 Curvrin's Journal. Valentine'.s New York Manual, 1863, contains an account of
the flags which have waved over New York City, from a memoir prepared by Doct. A. K.
Gardner, for the Xew York Historical Society.
FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES. 191
sisting chiefly of New Hampshire troops, and marched to the northeast
part of the harbor in the night, where they burned the warehouses
containing the naval stores, and staved a large quantity of wine and
brandy.
The smoke of this fire, being driven by the wind into the grand bat-
tery, so terrified the French that they abandoned it, and retired to the
city, having spiked the guns and cut the halyards of the flag-staff.
The next morning. May 2, 1745, as Vaughan was returning with thir-
teen men only, he crept up the hill which overlooked the battery,
and observed that the chimneys of the barrack were without smoke
and the staff" without a flag. With a bottle of brandy which he had in
his pocket he hired one of his party, an Indian, to crawl in at an em-
brasure and open the gate. He then wrote to the general : " May it
please your honor to be informed that, by the grace of God and the
courage of thirteen men, I entered the royal battery about nine o'clock,
and am awaiting for a reinforcement and a flag." Before either could
arrive, one of the men climbed up the staff with a red coat in his
teeth, which he fastened by a nail to the top. This piece of trium-
phant vanity alarmed the city, and immediately an hundred men were
despatched in boats to retake the battery. But Vaughan, with his
small party on the naked bank and in the face of a smart fire from
the city and the boats, kept them from landing till reinforcements
arrived.^
The name of the man who hoisted this impromptu flag with such
rash daring is given in an obituary notice containing the following
exaggerated version of his feat, printed in the ' Boston Gazette ' of June
3, 1771 : "Medford, May 25, 1771. This day died here Mr. William
Tufts, Jr., aged about 44 years. . . . When about 18 years of age he
enlisted a volunteer into the service of his king and country in the
expedition against Cape Britain [Breton], under the command of Lieut.-
General Pepperrell, in the year 1745, where he signalized his courage
in a remarkable manner at the Island Battery, when an unsuccessfid
attempt was made by a detachment from the army to take it by storm.
He got into the battery, notwithstanding the lieavy fire of the French
artillery and small arms, climbed up the flag-staff^ struck the French
colors, pulled off his red great- coat, and hoisted it on the staff as Eng-
lish colors, all which time there was a continued fire at him from the
small arms of the French, and got down untouched, tho' many bullets
went thro' his trowsers and cloathes." ^
1 Belknap's History of New Hampshire.
2 J. L. Sibley, New England Historical and Genealogical Register, 1871.
192 OKICIN AM) I'KOCJKHSS (»F 'IIIH
(Jovcnior Tlioiims I'uwnall, in his .louniiil oi" 'A A'uyage I'loiii
Boston to Punobscot Iviver,' May, 175'.l, luentions calling the Indi-
ans together and giving tlieni a union ilag, proliably the union jack
Avith a red field or liag, for their protection and ]>assport. He also
furnislied tlieni with a red and also a wliile Hag, as cnihleins of war
and amity. After\vards, he mentions hoisting the king's cohjrs on a
liag-stafl' at Fort Point, with the usual ceremonies, and saluting them.^
On the 21st of August, 1760, an engagement took place between
the English under Lord Amherst and tlie French forces under Pou-
chet, which resulted in the capture of Fort Levis on the St. LaA\'rence,
a little below the present city of Ogdensburg, N. Y. During this en-
gagement the English vessel Seneca, of 22 guns and 350 men, grounded,
and was compelled to strike her flag. There were two other vessels
— the Ontaonaise and Oneida — on the English side. " One thing,"
says Pouchet, "which amused the garrison at the most serious mo-
ments of the battle was that the Indians, who "vvere perched upon the
trenches and batteries, to watch the contest with the vessels, which
they regarded on their side on account of the names tliat had been
given them, made furious cries at seeing them so maltreated, because
they carried an Indian painted upon their flags." ^
FLAGS OF THE PRE-REVOLUTIONARY AND EEVO-
LUTIONARY PERIODS.
17GG-1777.
In contemporary newspapers for ten years preceding the commence-
ment of our revolutionary struggle, liberty poles, trees, and flags of
various devices are frequently mentioned.
On the 9tli of January, 176G, the people of Portsmouth, N. H., de-
manded from Governor Meserve, agent for the distribution of stamps
in Xew Hampshire, his commission and instructions, and, notwith-
standing his resignation, required him to take oath that he would not
directly or indirectly attempt to execute the oflice. They afterwards
marched through the streets, carrying the commission in triumpli on
the point of a sword, and bearing aloft a flag on which was inscribed
" Liberty, Property, and no Stamps ; " and, to perpetuate the mem-
orable event, they erected this standard at Swing Bridge, which thence-
forth was called ' Liberty Bridge.'
1 Maine Historical Collections, vol. v.
2 L. B. Hough's Trans. Poucliet's Jlemoirs, vol. ii. p. 32.
DiVji -
^
PL.V
FLAGS OF \llb-17
AN APPEALTO HEAVEN
- iAii
TIN
111 I 111
Y A UNION
'dont tread on Mt
|LIBERTY^3|0R DEATH
DONT TREAD ON ME
LIBERTY TREE
AN APPEAL'**!»^0 GOD
AN APPEAL TO GOD
DONT TREAD ON ME
T)ONT TREAD ON. ML
"^^' ^^^-':.^
FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES. 193
When the Stamp Act reached Boston, intense excitement ensued,
and it was denounced as a violation of the British Constitution, and
as destructive of the first principles of liberty ; a coffin was prepared,
inscribed "Liberty, born at Plymouth, in 1620; died, 1765, aged 145
years ; " an oration was delivered at the grave, a long procession hav-
ing followed, with minute guns firing ; but, just as the oration was
concluded, the figure of Liberty showed symptoms of returning life,
whereupon " Liberty revived " was substituted on the coffin, amid the
joyful ringing of bells.
The obnoxious Stamp Act was passed March 22, 1765, but did not
go into effect until November. It was such a source of disaffection,
rebellious utterances and acts, that it was repealed the 18th of ]\Iarch,
1766, after having been in operation only four months. When the
glad tidings reached America, the colonists saw in its repeal a promise
of justice for the future, and went into frenzies of rapture. They had
celebrations and bonfires, and were ready to purchase all the goods
England had to sell. At New York, they put up a liberty pole in
The Fields, with a splendid flag, inscribed " The King, Pitt, and Lib-
erty.'' They ordered a statue of Pitt, who had insisted on the repeal,
for Wall Street, and another of George III., for tlie Bowling Green.
The repeal of the obnoxious act was soon found to be only a snare
of their rulers, under cover of which advantage was taken of their
grateful mood to wring concessions. Citizens were seized by the Brit-
ish men-of-war in the harbor, and pressed to serve in the crews. Fresh
taxes were levied. The soldiers openly insulted the people, and in a
few weeks cut down their liberty pole. The angry but patient people
raised a new pole, still with the loyal motto. The next spring the
soldiers cut it down again. Next day came the Sons of Liberty, a
society grown up with the peril of the times, composed of brave, loyal,
and intelligent men, and set down ' a new pole sheathed with iron
around its base, — still with the old loyal motto : " To his most gra-
cious Majesty George III., Mr. Pitt, and liberty." For almost three
years this stanch liberty pole stood, though the soldiers attacked it
once or twice. Finally, one January day in 1770, a squad of red-
coats mustered at its base, and the gallant pole came down. The
Liberty Boys were ready with another pole, but the timid corporation
forbade them to raise it on public ground. So the Liberty Boys bought
a strip of private ground close by the old stand, eleven feet wide and
a hundred feet deep ; and from the ship-yard, where it had been formed,
they escorted their new mast, six horses, gay with ribbons, drawing it,
a full band going before, and three flags flying free, inscribed "Liberty
13
194
()HI(;1N AND l'i;<»(;i{KSS OF 'IMIK
aiul Pi'opcrt}/." ^ They took tlii; iimsl lo the fu'ld, and thi;j, ;i Imle twelve
feet (leejs in which they stej)ped the liberty pule, alter girding it with
iron two-thirds of its lenj^^th from the ground, defying the red-coats to
cut it down. On it tliey shipped a topmast twenty-two feet long, on
"which was inscribed tlie word Lihcrf//. This }»ule the 15ritish cut
down in 177G.
At Charleston, S. C, under a wide-spreading live oak-tree a little
north of the residence of Christopher Gadsden, within the square
now bounded by Charlotte, Washington, Brundy, and Alexander
Streets, the patriots of 1765 were accustomed to assemlile to dis-
cuss the political questions of the day ; and from this circumstance,
that oak, like the great elm in Boston, obtained the name of 'liberty
tree,' and it is claimed, and generally believed in South Carolina, that
under it Gadsden, as early as 1764, first spoke of American indepen-
dence. In 1765, when the stamp paper reached Charleston, it was
deposited at Fort Johnson. A volunteer force took the fort and cap-
tured the paper. Whilst they held the fort, they displayed a flag
showing a blue field with three white crescents, which seems to have
been improvised by tlie volunteers, of whom there were three com-
panies. Underneath it, on the 8th of August, 1776, the Declaration
of Independence was proclaimed to the people. In 1766, the Sons of
Liberty met under it, and with linked hands
}»ledged themselves to resist, when the hour
fur resistance came. Its history and asso-
ciations were hateful to the officers of the
crown, and after the city surrendered, in
1780, Sir Henry Clinton ordered it cut
down, and a fire was lighted over the stump
by piling its branches around it. Many
cane-heads were made from its stump in
after years, and a part of it was sawed into
thin boards, and made into a neat ballot-
box and presented to the '76 Association.
The box was destroyed by fire, at the room
of the association, during the great confla-
gration of 1838.2
The old liberty tree in Boston was the
largest of a grove of beautiful elms tliat stood in Hanover Square, at
the corner of Orange (now Washington) and Essex Streets, opposite
the present Boylston Market. The exact site is marked by a building,
1 Valentine's Manual of the City Councils of Xew York. ^ Lossing.
MMi
SONS OF LIBE RTY 17 66,
I N D E P E N Q E N C E of i.u,^ CO U NT Rr
ij|i;i:;M.il'l|til,'::7u7l_<S|!ilvli|;il,l.lSill
FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES. 195
erected by the late Hon. David Sears, in whose front is a bass-relief
of the tree, with an appropriate inscription.^ It received the name
of ' liberty tree ' from the association called the ' Sons of Liberty '
holding their meetings under it during the summer of 1765. The
ground under it was called ' liberty hall.' A pole fastened to its
trunk rose far above its branching top, and when a red flag was
thrown to the breeze, the signal was understood by the people. Here
the Sons of Liberty held many a notable meeting, and placards and
banners were often suspended from the limbs or affixed to the body of
the tree, and the following inscription was placed upon it : " This tree
was planted in the year 1614, and pruned, by order of the Sons of
Liberty, Feb. 14, 1766." 2 Nov. 20, 1767, the day on which the new
revenue law went into effect, there was a seditious handbill posted on
it. It contained an exhortation to the Sons of Liberty to rise on that
day and fight for their rights, stating, that if they assembled, they
would be joined by legions ; that if they neglected this opportunity,,
they would be cursed by all posterity. In June, 1768, a red flag was
hoisted over it, and a paper posted upon it inviting the people to rise
and clear the country of the commissioners and their officers.
In 1768, Paul Revere published a view of a part of the town of
Boston, in New England, and British ships of war landing their
troops, Friday, Sept. 30, 1768.
All the ships in front of the town, viz. the Beaver, Donegal, Martin,
Glasgow, Mermaid, Eomney, Lavmceston, and Bonetta, with several
smaller vessels, carry the English red union ensign of the time on a
staff at the stern, a union jack on the bowsprit, and a red pennant
with a union at the main, except the Glasgow, which has a red broad
pennant at her main. The Glasgow, seven years later, played an im-
portant part at the battle of Bunker's Hill. The troops are landed
and being landed on Long Wharf, and have two pairs of colors, one of
each pair is the ordinary union jack, the other a red flag with a union
jack in the centre of it. This is probably the red union jack else-
where mentioned.^
July 31, 1769, on Governor Bernard's being ordered to England, the
general joy was manifested by congratulations among the people, salutes
from Hancock's wharf, the union flag flying above the liberty tree, and
bonfires on the liills. The flag was kept flying for several days.
1 The illustration represents the bass-relief. ^ Tudor's Ijfe of Otis.
^ A fac-simile of this engraving was printed by the publisher of the ' Little Corporal,'
Chicago, 111., in 1870. An engraving of Boston, by William Price, dedicated to Peter
Fanenil, and probably of earlier date, as Faneuil died in 1742, represents numerous sliips
wearing the Englisli union ensign, while the union flag or king's colors fly over the forts.
l!)f; (iKKiiN AM) i'i;(i(;in:ss of the
Tlie anniversary of the uprising against tlie Stamp Act, Aug. 14, 1773,
^vas celel)iateil with great spirit, and a 'union flag' Hnated over the tent
in which the company had their entertainment. Nov. 3, 1773, a large
flag was raised above the liberty tree, and the town-crier summoned
the people to assemble. Tlie destruction of the tea followed this
meetinc:. In the winter of 1775-76, the British soldiers cut down
this noble tree, which from these associations had become odious to
them. It furnished fourteen cords of wood, and jirobably went to
ashes in the stove set up in the Old South Meeting-house, when the
soldiers occupied that building for a riding-school, and kindled fires
with books and pamphlets from Prince's valuable library, the remnant
of which is now preserved in the Boston Public Library. The destruc-
tion of the liberty tree was bitterly resented.
The ' New England Chronicle,' reporting the act, says : " The ene-
mies of liberty and America, headed by Torn Gage, lately gave a
notable specimen of their hatred to the very name of liberty. A
party, of whom was one Job Williams, was the ringleader, a few days
since repaired to a tree at the south end of Boston, known by the
name of ' Liberty Tree,' and, armed with axes, &c., made a furious at-
tack upon it. After a long spell of groaning, swearing, and foaming,
with malice diabolical they cut down a tree because it bore the name
of ' Liberty.' " ^
At Taunton, Mass., in October, 1774, a ' union flag ' was raised on the
top of a liberty pole, with the words ' Liberty and Union ' thereon.
In January, 1775, the sleds containing wood for the inhabitants of
Boston bore a ' union flag.' The colonists had long been familiar with
union flags ; they now began to associate liberty with them.
March 21, 1775, the friends of liberty at Poughkeepsie, N. Y., erected
a fla" bearing on one side " The King," and on the other " The Con-
GRESS AND LIBERTY," which was cut down by the authorities as a
public nuisance.^
In the earliest days of the Pievolution each State seems to have set
up its own particular banner. There were probably no colors M-orn
by the handful of Americans hastily called together at the battle of
Lexington or at Bunker's Hill, but immediately after, the Connecticut
troops had standards, bearing on them the arms of that colony, with the
motto, " Qui transtulit sustinet" in letters of gold, which was freely
translated " God, who transported us hither, will support us." In April,
1775, six regiments were ordered by the General Assembly of Connecti-
1 The New England Chronicle for August 24-31, 1775.
* Holt's Journal, April 6, 1775.
FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES.
197
cut to be raised for the defence of the colony. In May, standards were
ordered for these regiments. For the 1st, the color was to be ydlovj ;
for the 2d, hhte ; for the 3d, scarlet ; for the 4th, crimson ; for the 5th,
white; for the 6th, azure. In July, 1775, two additional regiments
were ordered, and the colors for these were, for the 7th, Uue ; for the
8th, orange. These regiments were enlisted for a few months only, and
were not in the field at the formation of the Connecticut line, in 1777.
There is now deposited with the Connecticut Historical Society an
old red silk flag, about a yard square, on which is a tracing of the
arms of Connecticut, in a darker red paint, and over them, in gilt let-
ters, this inscription : —
II BAT
IT. REGT.
CONNECTICUT.
Eaisetl 1640
This flag w^as presented to the State by the Hon. John Mix, who
was an ensign, and adjutant of the 2d regiment of the line in 1777,
and is supposed to be of that or earlier date. The "Eaised 1640" is
supposed to allude to the great English rebellion, as a presage of what
might be hoped for in the rebellion just begun.^
In March, 1775, a union flag with a red field, having on one side
this inscription, "Geo. Rex and the Liberties of America," and on
the other " No Popery," was hoisted at New York.
The armed ships of New York of that time are said
to have had a black beaver for their device on their
flag. This was the device of the colonial seal of
New Netherland, and is still seen on the seal of the
city of New York.
No description of the union flags of these times
has been preserved. Aged people, living a few
years since, who well remembered the processions and the great flags,
could not recall their devices, nor has any particular description of
them been found in the contemporaneous private diaries or public
newspapers ; nevertheless, it is more than probable, and almost cer-
tain, that these flags were the familiar flags of the English and Scotch
union, established in 1707, and long known as union flags, inscribed
with various popular and patriotic mottoes.
The Historical Chronicle of the 'Gentleman's Magazine,' under
date April 17, 1775, records "by a ship just arrived at Bristol from
1 Connecticut Quartemiaster-General's Report, 1839 ; Hartford Courant, 1839 ; Army
and Navy Chronicle, 1839 ; Letters of C. J. Hoadley to G. H. P., 1873.
Colonial Seal of New
Netherland.
108 OKICIN AND TKOnRESS OV THK
America, it is reported that tlu' Americans have liuisted their stand-
ard of liberty at Salem."
Neither contemporary accounts noi- the recollections of" old soldiers
are satisfactory respecting the flags used by the continentals at the
battle of Bunker Hill, on the 17th of June, 1775. The liritish used
the following signals : " Signals for boats in divisions, moving to the
attack on the rebels on- the Heights of Charleston, June 17, 1775 ; viz.,
1. Blue flag, to advance. Yellow ditto, to lay on oars. Ked ditto,
to land." ^ It is not positively ascertained that any were used by the
Americans ; certainly, none were captured from them by the British.
A eulogy on Warren, however, written soon after the battle, de-
scribing the astonishment of the British on tlie morning of the 1 tattle,
says : —
" Colunil)i;i's troops are soi'ii in dreail array,
Aud waving streamers in the air display."
It is to be regretted that the poet has not described these fanciful
waving streamers ; probably, says another writer, but without stating
his authority, " they were as various as the troops were motley."
At a patriotic celebration in 1825, a flag was borne wdiich was
said to have been unfurled at Bunker Hill ; and tradition states that
one was hoisted at the redoubt, and that Gage and his officers were
puzzled to read by their glasses its motto. A whig told them it was
" Come, if you dare." Trumbull, in his celebrated picture of the battle,
now in the rotunda of the Capitol at Washington, has represented a
red flag having a white canton and red cross and a green pine-tree.^
1 Orderly Book of Major-Gcneral Howe.
2 This cannot be considered authoritative. Painters frequently take a poet's license,,
and are not always particular in the accuracy of the accessories of their paintings. Thus
Leutze, in his 'Washington crossing the Delaware,' Dec. 25, 1776, conspicuously displays
the American flag with the blue field and union of white stars, althougli the flag had
no existence before the 14th of June, 1777, and was not published until September, 1777.
Yet this inaccurate historical tableau has been selected to embellish tlie face of the fifty-
dollar notes of our national banks. In Powell's * Battle of Lake Erie,' at the Capitol,
the flag in Perry's boat lias only thirteen stripes and thirteen stars, although fifteen of
each had been the legal number for twenty years, or since 1794.
The gold medal awarded to General Daniel Morgan for the ' Battle of Cowpens,' which
occurred Jail. 17, 1781, has on its reverse a mounted officer at the head of his troops
charging a flying foe, while behind and over the officer are two large and prominent
banners simply striped with thirteen stripes, alternate red and white without the stars,
though the stars had been for more than three years blazoned on the American ensigns.
The medal was probably struck in France.
Bacon, in his picture of the 'Boston Boys and General Gage,' hangs out over the
porch of the Province House an English ensign showing tlie union jack of 1801, adopted
a quarter of a century later than the scene represented. But tliis is excusable, since, in
FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES. 199
In a manuscript plan of the battle, colors are represented in the
centre of each British regiment.
Botta 1 says that Doctor Warren, finding the corps he commanded
pursued by the enemy, despising all danger, stood alone before the
ranks, endeavoring to rally his men and to encourage them by his
example. He reminded them of the motto inscribed on their ensigns,
on the one side of which were these words, " An appeal to Heaven,"
and on the other, " Qui transtidit sustinct," meaning that the same
Providence which brought their ancestors through so many perils to
a place of refuge would also deign to support their descendants.
Mrs. Manning, an intelligent old lady, informed Mr. Lossing ^ that
her father, who was in the battle, assisted in hoisting the standard,
and she had heard him speak of it as a
noble flag ; the ground of which was blue,
with one corner quartered by the red cross
of St. George, in one section of which was
a pine-tree.
Washington arrived in Cambridge, Sun-
day, July 2, accompanied by Major-Gen-
eral Charles Luce, and the ' New England
Chronicle ' says : —
„ , „.„ ^, " None of the men who have been raised
Buuker Hill Flag.
by this and several other colonies are in
future to be distinguished as the troops of any particular colony, but
as the forces of "The United Colonies of Nokth America," into
whose joint service they have been taken by the Continental Congress,
and are to be paid and supported accordingly." ^
On the 18th of July, a month after the battle of Bunker's Hill,
Major- General Putnam assembled his division on the height of Pros-
pect Hill, to have read to it the manifesto of Congress, signed by
John Hancock, its president, and countersigned by Charles Thom-
son, secretary. The reading was followed by a prayer suited to tlie
occasion, and at the close of the prayer, at signal from the general,
the troops cried ' Amen,' and at the same instant the artillery of the
fort thundered a general salute, and the scarlet standard of the Third
Connecticut Regiment recently sent to General Putnam, bearing on
a fresco on the walls of tlie new Houses of Parliament or Palace of "Westminster, the
artist represents Charles II. landing under this union jack of 1801, which has the saltire
gules for Ireland.
1 History of American Revolution.
2 Field- Book of the American Revolution, vol. i. p. 541.
3 The New England Chronicle, and the Essex Gazette, from Thursday, June 29, to
Thursday, July 6, 1775.
FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES.
201
the one side the Connecticut motto, " Qui transtulit sustinet," and
on the other the recognized motto of Massachusetts, " An appeal to
Heaven" were unfurled. The same ceremony was observed in the
other divisions.^
Lieutenant Paul Lunt, in his Diary, which has been printed, says :
" May 10, 1775, marched from Xewburyport with sixty men. Captain
Ezra Lunt, commander, and May 12, at 11 o'clock, arrived at Cambridge.
. . . June 16, our men went to Charlestown and entrenched on a hill
beyond Bunker's Hill. . . . June 17, the regulars landed a number of
troops, and we engaged them. They drove us off the hill and burned
Charlestown. July 2, General Washington came into the camp. . . ,
July 18th. This morning a manifesto from the grand Continental
Congress was read by the Eev. Mr. Leonard, chaplain of the Con-
necticut forces upon Prospect Hill in Charlestown. Our standard
W'as presented in the midst of the regiments, with this inscription
upon it, " Appeal to Heaven" after which ]\lr. Leonard made a short
prayer, and then we were dismissed, by the discharge of a cannon,
three cheers, and a war-whoop by the Indians."
The 'New England Chronicle' for July 21, 1775, says: "Cam-
bridge, July 21. On Tuesday morning the standard lately sent to
General Putnam was exhibited flourishing in the air, bearing on one
side this motto, 'An appeal to Heaven,' and on the other, 'Qui
TRANSTULIT SUSTINET.' The whole was conducted with the utmost
decency, good order, and regularity, and to the universal acceptance of
all present. And the Philistines on Bunker's
Hill heard the shout of the Israelites, and, be-
ing very fearful, paraded themselves in battle
array."
June 19, 1775, two days after the battle of
Bunker Hill, and before the news had reached
Georgia, there was a meeting of a committee of
the leading men of Savannah, to enforce the
requirements of the American Association.
After the meeting, a dinner was had at Ton-
dee's tavern, where a ' union flag ' was hoisted
The Pine Tree Flag. upon a liberty polo, and two pieces of artillery
From a map published in Paris, plaCCd UudCT it.
^'^^' Aug. 1, 1775, there was raised at Prospect
Hill, Charlestown, for a flag-staff, a mast seventy-six feet high, wliich
came out of a schooner that was burnt at Chelsea.
1 Bancroft's History of the United States ; Frothingham's Siege of Boston ; I. J.
Greenwood.
*J02 (>ui(;iN AM> 1'i;<>(;ki;ss ok iiii:
In September, 1775, Avnolil made liis lumous expedition through
Maine to Canada, ami, when ch'il'ting down the gentle eurrent of the
Dead lliver, came suddenly in sight of a hjf'ty mountain covered with
snow, at the foot ol" which he encamped three da}s, raising the conti-
nental Hag over his tent. What its color was, or the devices upon it,
we have no means of ascertaining. The mountain is now known as
* Mount liigelow." — tradition asserting that Major Bigelow, of Arnold's
little army, ascended to its summit, ho])ing to see tlie spires of Quel)ec.
])uring September, 1775, two strong lloating batteries were launched
on the Charles River, and opened a fire, in October, upon Boston, that
caused gi'eat alarm and damaged several houses. They a])pear to have
been scows made of strong planks, pierced near the water-line for oars,
_, and along the sides higher up for light, and
\ ' ^^^^^t musketry. A heavy gun was placed at each
-^^^=-=si^^^^^^^^ end, and upon the top were four swivels.
American Fioatin- B.itteiy, used at Their cusigu was a pinc-trce flag.^ The six
the Siege of Boston. -i r> ^ • • i i itlt i •
schooners first commissioned by Washing-
From an English Manuscript. . .
ton and the first vessels commissioned by the
United Colonies sailed under the pine-tree flag.^ Colonel Reed, in a
1 Lossing's Field-Book of the Revolution.
- Captain John Selman ami Nicholas Broughton were commissioned by General
Washington (according to tlie statement of Selman to Elbridge Gerry), in the fall of
1775, both living at Marblehead. " Tlie latter as commodore of two small schooners, one
the Lynch, mounting six 4-pounders and ten swivels, and manned by seventy seamen,
and the other the Franklin, of less force, having sixty-five. Tlie commodore hoisted his
broad pendant on board the Lynch, and Selman commanded the latter.
"These vessels were ordered to the river St. LawTcnce, to intercept an ammunition
vessel bound to Quebec, but missing her, they took ten other vessels, and Governor
Wriglit, of St. Johns, all of which were released, as we had waged a ministerial war, and
not one against our most gracious sovereign." — Letter of E. Gerry to John Adams, dated
Feb. 9, 1813.
The forai of commission issued by General Washington to tlie officers of the vessels
fitted out by liim, under authority of the Continental Congress, and the officers so com-
missioned, were as follows : —
By his Excellency George Washixgtox, Esq., Commander-in-chief of th£ Army of the
United Colonics.
To William Buuke, Esq.
By virtue of the powers and authorities to me given by the honorable Continental
Congress, I do hereby constitute and appoint you captain and commander of the schooner
JFarren, now lying at Beverly port, in the service of the United Colonies of North
America, to have, hold, exercise, and enjoy the said ofKce of captain and commander of
the said vessel, and to perform and execute all matters and things which to your said
office do, or may of right belong or appertain, until further order shall be given herein
by the honorable Continental Congiess, myself, or any future commander-in-chief of
said army, willing and commanding all officers, soldiers, and persons whatsoever any
FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES.
203
letter from Cambridge to Colonels Glover and Moylan, under date Oct.
20, 1775, says : " Please fix upon some particular color for a flag, and a
signal by which our vessels may know one another. What do you
think of a flag with a white ground and a tree in the middle, the motto,
'An appeal to Heaven,' — this is the flag of our floating batteries."
Colonels Moylan and Glover replied the next day, that, as Broughton
and Selman, who had sailed that morning, had none but their old
colors (probably the old English union ensign), they had appointed
as the signal by which they could be known to their friends the ensign
at the main topping lift. In January, the Franklin was wearing the
pine-tree flag.^
The suggestion of Colonel Eeed seems to have been soon adopted.
The 'London Chronicle,' for January, 1776, describing the flag of a
captured cruiser, says : " There is in the admiralty office the flag of
a provincial privateer. The field is white bunting. On the middle is
a green pine-tree, and upon the opposite side is the motto, 'An appeal
to Heaven.' " April, 1776, the Massachusetts council passed a series
way concerned, to be obedient and assisting to you in the due execution of this commis-
sion.
Given under my hand and seal, at Cambridge, this 1st day of February, Annoqice
Domini, 1776.
George Washington.
By His Excellency's command.
To Captain William Burke, of the Warren.
Officers of the Armed Vessels fitted out by Order of General Washington, on the 1st day of
February, 1776.
1 January, 1776.
1 January, 1776.
1 January, 1776.
20 January, 1777.
. 20 January, 1776.
. 20 January, 1776.
. 20 January, 1776.
. 20 January, 1776.
, 20 January, 1776.
, 20 January, 1776.
. 20 January, 1776.
. 23 January, 1776.
. 20 January, 1776.
. 20 January, 1776.
. 20 January, 1776.
, 20 January, 1776.
1 February, 1776.
Hancock . .
Lee.
Franklin ,
Harrison
Lynch . .
Warren
John Manley . .
Richard Stiles
Nicholas Ogilby .
Daniel Waters .
William Kissick
John Gill . . .
John Desmond .
Samuel Tucker .
Edward Phittiplace
Francis Salter
Charles Dyar . .
Thomas Dote . .
John Wigglcsworth
John Ayres . .
John Roche .
John Tiley . .
William Burke .
American
Captain and Com.
1st Lieutenant
2d Lieutenant
Captain . .
1st Lieutenant
2d Lieutenant
Master . . .
Captain . .
1st Lieutenant
2d Lieutenant
Captain . .
1st Lieutenant
2d Lieutenant
Cajitain
l.st Lieutenant
2d Lieutenant
Captain . .
Archives, 4th series,
vol. iv. pp. 909, 910.
1 See next page.
204 oKiruN Axn imjohress of tiii:
of resolutiiiiis for tlu' regulation of the sea service, among wliicli was
the foHowing : —
" licsolird, That the unifona of tlie officers l)e green and wliite, and
that they furnish themselves accordingly ; and that the colors be a white
flag, with a green pine-tree, and tlie inscription, ' yi7i appeal to Heaven.' "
According to the English newspapei's, privateers, throughout this
year, wearing a flag of this description were captured and carried into
l>ritish ports. "Jan. 6, 1776, the Tartar, Captain Meadows, arrived at
I'ortsmouth, England, from Boston, with over seventy men, the crew
of an American privateer that mounted ten guns, taken by the Fowry,
man-of-war. Captain Meadows likewise brought her colors, which are
a pale green palm-tree upon a white field, with this motto, ' We appeal
to Heaven.' " She was taken on the Massachusetts coast cruising for
transports, and was sent out by the council of that province.
Commodore Samuel Tucker, writing to the Hon. John Holmes,
March G, 1818,^ says : "The first cruise I made was in January, 1776,
in the schooner Franklin, of seventy tons, equipped by order of Gen-
eral Washington, and I had to purchase the small arms to encounter
the enemy with money from my own pocket, or go without ; and my
wife made the banner I fought under, the field of which was white,
and the union green, made therein in the figure of a pine-tree, made
of cloth of her own purchasing, at her own expense."
Under these colors he captured the ship George and brig Ara-
bella, transports, having on board about two hundred and eighty
Highland troops of General Eraser's corps.
" Halifax, Nova Scotia, June 10, 1776, on Sunday, arrived from
off Boston a privateer brig, called the Yankee Hero, Captain Tracy.
She was taken by the Miltbrd frigate, 28 guns, Captain Burr, after an
obstinate engagement, in which the captain of the privateer received
a ball through his thigh, soon after which she struck. She is a fine
vessel, and mounts twelve carriage guns and six swivels. Her colors
were a pine-tree on a white field."
Instances of the use of this pine-tree flag, from October, 1775, to
July, 1776, could be multiplied.
In the museum collected in Independence Hall, Philadelphia, in
1876, was exhibited a green silk military flag, said to have belonged
to a Newburyport company during the Eevolution. The flag has a
white canton, on which is painted a green pine-tree in a blue field,
surrounded by a chain circle of thirteen links, each link grasped by
a mailed hand coming out of a cloud.
1 Shepard's Life of Commodore Tucker,
FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES.
205
In the same museum was a regimental flag of yellow silk, which
once belonged to Colonel D. B. Webb, aid to General Putnam, and
afterwards an aid and the private secretary of Washington. It was
so mutilated that its general device could not be traced, but a female
figure holds in her hand a staff, the top crowned or covered with a
low-crowned and broad-brimmed hat, while from the staff streams a
pennant of thirteen red and white stripes.
Among the curious relics of the American Kevolution in the collec-
tions of the Massachusetts Historical Society there is a silk flag, which
was presented by Governor Hancock to a colored company called the
" Bucks of America." It has for a device a pine-tree and buck, above
which are the initials " J. H." and " G. W.," for Hancock and Wash-
ington.
Mrs. Margaret C. Craig, the daughter of General Craig, an officer
of the Eevolution, and now living in New Alexandria, Penn., has a
rattlesnake flag, which was carried
l)y Colonel John Procter's regiment
all through the war, and was at the
battles of Trenton, Princeton, Ash
Swamp, &c.
The flag is composed of heavy
^^,^^ ^.y-^- crimson watered silk, somewhat
'^J^f^'^'^U^^ ■^^ faded, and, where painted, cracked
and broken, and the covering and
fringe of the two tassels have been
worn almost away ; otherwise, the
flag is in good condition. The paint-
ing is alike on botli sides of the flag.
It is six feet four inches long by five feet ten inches wide, and is
cantoned with the English union jack of 1707 ; that is, with a St.
George's red and St. Andrew's white cross on a blue field. In the
centre of the red field of the flag there is painted a rattlesnake of the
natural color, coiled up, and in the attitude of striking, and having
thirteen rattles erect, representing the thirteen colonies. It will be
noticed that the head of the snake is significantly erected, as if in
defiance, towards the English union. Below the snake, on a yel-
low scroll, in large black letters, is the motto, " Don't tread on
me." Above the snake are the letters " J. P.," and just below them are
the letters " I. B. W. C. P." These letters, General Craig said,
FlaK of First Hn-ail
tiiiiurlaiHl Luuiilv,
Penn., 1775.i
1 The illustration is from a drawing ol' the flag by Mrs. Campbell, furnished by Jlrs.
Craifi
20G oiJir:iN am> imjocukss or 'imik
meaut " Juhii Procter's First Brigade, Westmorulaud County, Pennsyl-
vania."
The Hag l)elonged to Colonel Procter's regiment, ol whicli Gonei-al
Craig was a junior otticer. On Colonel Procter's death, the flag was
presented to the next senior officer, and thus lianded down to General
Craig, who was the last surviving ollicer, and was sent to him by
mail, but, unfortunately, the accompanying letter, detailing its history,
has been lost. Mrs. Craig, to whom I am indebted for a painting of
this interesting relic, from which the illustration is taken, informs me
the Hag has been in the possession of her family for more than seventy
years. It is the only flag of the time bearing the rattlesnake device
that I know of in existence at this time.
Mrs. Craig values the flag very highly, and says, Avhen the rebels
invaded Pennsylvania, from the front yard of her house she heard
distinctly the cannonading at Gettysburg, and resolved, should the
rebels raid through her neighborhood, that she would secure it from
them, as also her father's sword. The flag was last displayed in
public at the centennial celebration at Greensburg, Penn.
Another standard exhibited in Independence Hall, in 187G, and
now deposited with the Pennsylvania Historical Society, was that of
the First Piifle Eegiment of Pennsylvania, 1775-83, which is thus
described by Lieutenant-Colonel Hand, in a letter to Jasper Yeates,
under date, " Prospect Hill, March 8, 1776 : " "I am stationed on Cob-
bles Hill, with four companies of our regiment. Two companies —
Cluggage's and Chambers's — were ordered to Dorchester on Monday.
Boss's and Lowden's relieved them yesterday. Every regiment -is to
have a standard and colors. Our standard is to be a deep green
ground, the device a tiger, partly enclosed by toils, attempting the
pass, defended by a hunter armed with a spear (in white), on a crim-
son field. The motto, ' Donari nolo.' "
In its services the regiment traversed every one of the thirteen
States, and this standard was borne by it in all its skirmishes in front
of Boston ; at White Plains, Trenton, Princeton, Brandywine, German-
town, Monmouth, Green Springs, Yorktown, and was with Wayne
when he fought the last battle of the war, at Sharon, Ga., May 24,
1782 ; entered Savannah in triumph, July 11, and Charleston, S. C,
Dec. 14, 1782 ; was in camp on James Island, S. C, May 11, 1783, and
only when the news of the cessation of hostilities reached that point
M'as embarked for Philadelphia.^
1 Annals of Buffalo Valley, by John Blair Linn, Esq., p. 85 ; also his letter to
Philadelphia Times, April 6, 1877.
FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES.
207
The battle-flag of Colonel AVilliam Washington's cavalry troop,
known as the ' Eutaw Standard,' was placed in the custody of the Wash-
ington Light Infantry Corps, of
Charleston, S. C, on the 19th
of April, 1827, by the Colonel's
widow, Mrs. Jane Washington,
and is now preserved in their
armory. It is of heavy crim-
son silk, and is in good condi-
tion. This little crimson flag
first waved in victory at the
battle of Cowpens, Jan. 17,
1781 ; and under its folds at
Eutaw Springs, Sept. 8, 1781,
Lieutenant-Colonel Wade
Hampton and many officers
were wounded, and Colonel
William AVashington being-
disabled by the killing of his
horse while charging the ene-
Eutaw Flag. , . -,
my, was made a prisoner.^
The tradition of the origin of the flag is interesting. Colonel Wash-
ington came from Virginia to South Carolina at the head of a cavalry
force, and met Miss Jane EUiott at her father's house on the family
estate, known as Sandy HiU, near Eautowle's Bridge, ten miles west of
Charleston ; a mutual attachment was formed, and Miss Elliott, sharing
the sentiments of all her family, was an intense friend of the rebel
cause. In the fall of 1780, Colonel Washington paid a hurried visit
to his fiancee, and when about to leave, in reply to her playful remark
that she would look out for news of his flag and fortunes, he replied,
that his corps carried no flag. With a woman's ready resource she
seized her scissors, and, cutting a sc[uare of crimson damask that em-
bellished the back of a stately drawing-room chair, said, " Colonel,
make this your standard ! " and gave it to her gallant lover, at the
head of whose cavalry it was borne, mounted on a small hickory pole,
during the remainder of the war. Never were knights of the old days
of chivalry more deeply inspired by maidenly guerdons than were
Washington and his brave cavaliers as they charged under that little
square of crimson silk.
1 Coustitutiou and Rules and Relics belonging to the Washington Light Infantry,
1879.
208 ORIGIN AND PKOGRESS OF THE
This flag was known as "Tailetou's Terror," alter their last-named
battle. It was presented to the Washington Light Infantry of (.'harles-
ton, by Mrs. Jane Elliott "Washington in person, in 18:^7, on the anni-
versary of the battle of Lexington. The i>resentation took i)lace in
front of the then Washington mansion, southwest corner of ►South
Battery and Church Streets, Charleston, S. C, and the house is still
standing. Sergeant H. S. Tew, the color-sergeant, who received and
bore the flag on that parade, still survives. This standard is always
di.splayed on the Washington birthday parade, and other imjiortant
military occasions. It was carried to the Bunker Hill centennial, and
everywhere received with great enthusiasm. It was also earned as
the colors of the Centennial Legion at Philadelphia, 4th July, 187G,
which command was composed of one representative military corps
from each of the old thirteen States. It will be a conspicuous feature
at the grand celebration of the centennial of Cowpens, 17th January,
1881, at which time a memorial column to the victors of that field
will be dedicated, with imposing ceremonies, under the auspices of
the Washington Light Infantry of Charleston, S. C.
At the semi-centennial celebration by the corps of Jane Washington
day, or of the presentation of the flag, in 1877, Captain Courtenay, in
an eloquent and patriotic speech, thus alluded to this valued relic : —
"Fifty years ago to-day tlie Washington Light Infantry were in
martial array in front of a well-known Carolina home. In the ample
portal stood a venerated matron, whose brow had been frosted by
time. Supported by an only son, she was discharging the last jjuldic
duty of an eventful life. In her hand was that banner, originally im-
provised by her for the service of her country, and presented to that
soldier of Virginia who under its crimson folds achieved a flashing
fame, which filled the new-born States with patriotic enthusiasm, and
still casts a reflected splendor on his times. Grouped around her
were a trio of our own worthies, chosen sponsors of this corps, to make
its solemn pledges and to assume the custody of this relic. The bril-
liant assemblage of spectators has receded from view, the long line of
enthusiastic soldiers now answer a short roll-call. The chief actors
have passed from time to eternity, l^ut the spirit of the day we cele-
brate survives. . . . The world is largely impressed by symbols. We
have our symbol ! There it stands, the flag of Eutaw, Guilford, and
tlie Cowpens ! It has been intrusted to our keeping, but it is the
heritage of all our people, a constant reminder to the youth of Caro-
lina of every thing that is noble in citizenship and the martial virtues.
May that standard in its progressing life ever command the rever-
FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES. 209
ence due age, and combine the privileges of ardent youth ! and as is
the breadth of its widening fame, so shall also be the responsibilities
imposed upon this community, for whom it stands in solemn pledge,
ever recalling the wisdom, fortitude, and self-sacrificing spirit of our
heroic past." ^
On the 22d of February following, a day which is always remem-
bered by the corps as its chosen anniversary, the orator of the day,
the Eev. E. C. Edgerton, a member of the company, said, alluding to
the flag : " There is meaning in our words when we gather beneath the
crimson folds of the Eutaw banner, illumined by the stars and stripes,
and shout : —
'' ' Unfurl the glorious banner
Which at Eutaw shone so bright,
And, like a dazzling meteor, swept
Through the Cowpens deadly fight.
Sound, sound your lively bugles.
Let thein pour their loudest blast,
While we pledge both life and honor
To stand by it to the last.' " ^
In the orderly book of the army, at Williamsburg, Ya., under date,
" Head-quarters, April 8, 1776," is found this entry : " The colonels
are desired to provide themselves with some colors and standards, if
they are to be procured : it doth not signify of what sort they are."
In the American Archives there is a description of the standard of
the Thirteenth Eegiment, under date Sept. 8, 1776 ; viz., "Ground,
light buff; device, a pine-tree and field of Indian corn (emblematical
€f New England corn-fields). Two oflicers in the uniform of the regi-
ment, one of them wounded in the breast, the blood streaming from
the wound. Under the pine, several children. One of the officers
pointing to them, with the motto, ' For jJosterity ive UcecV "^
On the 13th of September, 1775, Colonel Moultrie received an
order from the Council of Safety for taking Fort Johnson, on James
Island, S. C. ; * and, a flag being thought necessary, Colonel IMoultrie was
requested to procure one by the council, and had a large blue flag
made, with a crescent in the dexter corner, to be uniform M'ith the
troops of the garrison, who were clothed in blue, and wore silver cres-
1 Jane "Washington Day, &c., Charleston, S. C, 1877, p. 10.
'^ Annual Observance of Washington's Birthday by the Washington Light Infantry of
Charleston, S. C, 1878, p. 12, and Banner Song of the Washington Light Infantry, by
Theo. L. Smith, Esq.
^ American Archives, 5th series, vol. ii. p. 244. * Holmes's Annals.
14
210 (IKICIX AM) TKOCKKSS (»F THK
cents in front of their caps,^ inscribed " Liberty or Death." He said,
"/7/w vx(S tlic first American Jf a g dii^iilaycd in the South." When
^luultrie hoisted this llaif, the timid people said it had the appearance
of a dechiration of war, and tliat the captain of the Tamar, then nil"
Charleston, would look upon it as an insult and Hag of defiance. A
" union Hag " had been disi)layed at Savannah the preceding June.^
June 28, 1776, the standard adv'anced by Colonel Moultrie on the
southeast bastion of Fort Sullivan — or j\Ioultrie, as it was afterwards
named, on account of his gallant defence of it — was the same cres-
cent flag, with the word Liberty emblazoned upon it.^
At the commencement of the action, the crescent flag which waved
opposite the union flag upon the western bastion fell outside upon
the beach. Sergeant AVilliara Jasper, an Irishman by parentage, see-
ing this, cried out to Colonel Moultrie, " Don't let us fight without a
flag, Colonel," and leaped the parapet, w-alked the whole length of the
fort, picked up the flag, fastened it on a sponge staff, and in the midst
of the iron hail pouring upon the fortress, and in sight of the whole
British fleet, fixed the flag firmly upon the bastion. Three cheers
greeted him as he leaped within the fort. On the day after the battle,
Governor Rutledge visited the fort, and rewarded Jasper for his valor
by presenting him with his own small sword, which he was then
wearing, and thanked him, in the name of his country. He offered
him a lieutenant's commission ; but Jasper, who could neither read nor
write, declined it, saying, " I am not fit to keep officers' company : I
am but a sergeant."
On the day after the battle, the British fleet left Charleston Har-
bor. The joy of the Americans was unbounded, and the following
day (June 30), the wife of Major Bernard Elliot presented Colonel
Moultrie's regiment with a pair of elegant colors ; one of theni was of
fine blue silk, the other of fine red silk, both richly embroidered.
In the assault on Savannah, Oct. 9, 1779, they were planted on the
walls of the city, beside the lilies of France. Lieutenants Hume
and Buck, who carried them, having fallen, Lieutenant Gray, of
the South Carolina regiment, seized their standards, and kept them
erect until he was stricken by a bullet, when brave Sergeant Jasper
sprang forward, and had just fastened them on the parapet of the
Spring Hill redoubt when a rifle-ball pierced him, and he fell into the
ditch. Just then a retreat was sounded, and Jasper, wounded and
dying as he was, seized the colors, and succeeded in saving them from
1 Colonel Moultrie's Memoirs of the Revolution, vol. i. p. 90. ^ ggg ante.
' Bancroft's History of the United States ; Dawson's Battles by Sea and Land.
FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES. 211
falling into the hands of the enemy. He was earned to camp, and
soon after expired. Just before he died, he said to Major Harry,
" Tell Mrs. Elliot I lost my life supporting the colors she gave to our
regiment." ^
The Declaration of Independence was read by Major Elliot at
Charleston, on the 5th of August, 1776, to the people, young and old,
and of both sexes, assembled around the liberty pole, with all the mili-
tary of the city and vicinity, flags flying and drums beating. Among
the flags were, without doubt, these standards presented by his wife.
They were captured when Charleston surrendered, May 12, 1780,
and were among the British trophies preserved in the Tower of
London.
The General Congress, having previously appointed a committee to
prepare a plan, on the 13th of October, 1775, after some debate, "Re-
solved, That a swift sailing-vessel, to carry the carriage-guns and a
proportionable number of swivels, with eighty men, be fitted with
all possible despatch, for a cruise of three months." It was also " Re-
solved, That another vessel be fitted for the same purposes," and
" that a marine committee, consisting of JMessrs. Dean, Langdon, and
Gadsden, report their opinion of a proper vessel, and also an estimate
of the expense." On the 17th of October, the committee brought in
their estimate and report, which, after debate, was recommitted. On
the 30th, the committee recommended that the second vessel be of a
size to carry fourteen guns and a proportionate number of swivels and
men ; it was further resolved that two more vessels be fitted out with
all expedition, the one to carry not exceeding twenty guns, and the
other not exceeding thirty-six guns, with a proportionate number of
swivels and men, to be employed for the protection and defence of the
United Colonies, as Congress shall direct. Four new members were
added to the committee ; viz., Mr. Hopkins, Mr. Hewes, Mr. E. H.
Lee, and Mr. John Adams.^
Nov. 9, 1775, it was ''Resolved, That two battalions of marines be
raised, to be enlisted and commissioned to serve for and during the
present war between Great Britain and the colonies, and to be con-
sidered as a part of the continental army of Boston, particular care to
be taken that no persons be appointed or enlisted into said battalions
1 Lossing's Field-Book of the Revolution, vol. ii. pp. 532, .551. Oct. 9, 1879, there
was a centennial celebration, at Savannah, of the .siege, when the corner-stone of a monu-
ment to Jasper was laid over the spot where he received his death-wound a hundred
years before. Savannah News, Oct. 9, 1879.
2 Journal of Congress, vol. i. p. 204.
212 OKKilN AM) ri;(»(;Ki;ss (»F TIIK
but such as are good seamen, or so acquainted with inuiitime affaii-s
as to be able to serve to advantage l)y sea when reciuired." liy a reso-
hition of the 3(>th, they were ordered to be raised iridei)endent ol the
army ortk^red for service in Massachusetts.
November 23, the Marine Committee reported rules for the govern-
ment of the navy, which were adDpled on the 28th. On the 2d (»f
December, the committee were directed to prepare a proper co'.nmis-
sion for the captains and conunanders of the shi})S of war in the ser-
vice of the United Colonies,^ and reported one, which was adopted the
same day. December 9, Congress established the pay of the navy,
and on December 11 it was resolved that a committee be appointed
to devise ways and means for furnishing these colonies with a naval
armament, and report with convenient speed, and that this committee
consist of a member from each colony ; viz., Mr. Bartlett, Mr. S.
Adams, Mr. Hopkins,* Mr. Deane, Mr. Lewis, Mr. Crane, Mr. Morris,
Mr. Eead, Mr. Paca, Mr. R. A. Lee, Mr. Hewes, and ]\Ir. Gadsden.
On the 13th, this committee reported that fixe sliips of thirty-two
guns, five of twenty-eight guns, three of twenty-four guns, can be
fitted for sea probably by the last of March next; viz., in New
Hampshire, one ; in Massachusetts, two ; in Connecticut, one ; in
Rhode Island, two ; in New York, two ; in Pennsylvania, four ; in
Maryland, one," — the probable cost of these vessels being estimated at
S866,666f. The next day, the same committee, Mr. Chase being sub-
stituted for Mr. Paca, was appointed to carry out the report.
These provisions for a continental navy were prior to the resolu'
tions of the Massachusetts Council, April, 1776, providing a green
uniform and the pine-tree flag for her State marine ; but they make
no provision for a national flag for this navy of the Ignited Colonies.
John Jay, in a letter dated July, 1776, three months later, ex-
pressly states Congress had made no order, at that date, " concerning
continental colors, and that captains of the armed vessels had followed
their own fancies." He names as one device a rattlesnake rearing its
crest and shaking its rattles, and having the motto, " Don't tread on
me."
De Benvouloir, the discreet emissary of Vergennes, who arrived in
Philadelphia the latter part of 1775, just after Congress had ordered
the thirteen ships of war, reports to the French minister : " They have
given up the English flag, and have taken for their devices a rattle-
snake with thirteen rattles, and a mailed arm holding thirteen arrows."
'The London Chronicle,' July 27, 1776, says: "The colors of the
1 Journal of Congi-ess, vol. i. j). 255.
FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES. 213
American fleet have a snake with thirteen rattles, the fourteenth bud-
ding, described in the attitude of going to strike, with this motto,
' Don't tread on me.' "
T]^e number thirteen, representative of the number of colonies,
seems to have been constantly in mind; thus, thirteen vessels are
ordered to be built, thirteen stripes are placed on the flag, thirteen
arrows are grasped in a mailed hand, thirteen rattles on the rattle-
snake, and, later, thirteen arrows in the talons of the eagle, and thir-
teen mailed hands grasping an endless chain of thii'teen links.
The rattlesnake was a favorite device with the colonists, and its
origin as an American emblem deserves investigation as a curious
feature in our national history.^
The choice of this reptile as a representative of the colonies had at-
tained a firm position in the regard of the colonists long before diffi-
culties with Great Britain were anticipated. As early as April, 1751,
an account of the trial of Samuel Sanders, an English transported
convict, for the murder of Simon Gerty, occasioned the following
reflections, which were published in Franklin's paper, the ' Pennsyl-
vania Gazette : ' —
" ' When we see our papers filled continually with accounts of the
most audacious robberies, the most cruel murders, and an infinity of
other villanies perpetrated by convicts transported from Europe, what
melancholy, what terrible reflections, must it occasion ! What will
become our position ? These are some of thy favors, Britain, and thou
art called the mother country ? But what good mother ever sent thieves
and villains to accompany her children, to corrupt some with infec-
tious vices and murder the rest ? What father ever endeavors to
spread plague in his own family ? We don't ask fish, but thou givest
us serpents, and worse than serpents, in which Britain shows a more
sovereign contempt for us than by emptying her jails into our settle-
ments. What must we think of that board which has advocated the
repeal of every law that we have hitherto made to prevent this deluge
of wickedness from overwhelming us ? and witli this cruel sarcasm :
that those laws were against the public utility, for they tended to pre-
vent the improvement and well-peopling of the colonies. And what
must we think of those merchants who, for the sake of a little paltry
gain, will be concerned in im]iorting and disposing of such cargoes ? '
" This remonstrance, a bold one for the time, was commented upon
in a succeeding number of the 'Gazette,' by a writer who proposed
^ The account following is derived in jiart from an article printed in the ' Philadeliiliia
Sunday Dispatch,' 1871.
214 OKirnx and tijockkss of 'iiii:
the colonists sho\ikl send to England in return ' a cargo of rattlesnakcn,
wliicli should he distributed in St. James's I'ark, Spring Clarden, and
other places of pleasure, and particularly in nol)leinen's gardens.' lie
adds : —
"'Let no private interests ol)struct })ul)lic utility. Our mother
knows what is best for us. What is a little house-breaking, sho])-
lifting, or liighway robbery ? What is a son now and then corrupted
and hanged, a daughter debauched, a wife stabbed, a husband's throat
cut, or a child's brains beat out with an axe, compared with "the im-
provement and well-peopling of the colonies " ? '
" This idea of rendering the rattlesnake a means of retribution for
the wrongs of America could scarcely have been forgotten, and re-
ceived a new value three years afterwards, when, to stimulate the
colonies to a concert of measures against the Indians, the device of a
snake cut into eight parts, representing the colonies then engaged in
the war against the French and Indians, was published at the head of
the ' Gazette,' with the motto, ' Join or die.' This device was adopted
by other newspapers in the colonies, and in
1775 it was placed at the head of the ' Pennsyl-
vania Journal,' the head representing New Eng-
land, and the other disjointed portions being
marked with the initials, ' K Y.,' ' N. J.,' ' P.,'
Snake Device. , ^ , , y , , ^ ^, , ^^ ^ , ^^^ , ^ , rpj^^ ^^^^^^
then was, ' Unite or die.' These matters kept the rattlesnake in the
memory of the provincials, and may have led to its early adoption.
"Bradford's 'Pennsylvania Journal' of Dec. 27, 1775, contains the
following speculations upon the reasons for the adoption of this em-
blem. This composition has been ascribed to Dr. Franklin, without
any very good cause. The journal which published it was one with
which Dr. Franklin was not friendly. He would have been more
likely to have sent his communication to the ' Gazette,' which was
partly owned by his old partner, David Hall.
" ' Messrs. Printers : — I observed on one of the drums l)elonging to
the marines, now raising, there was painted a rattlesnake, with this
modest motto under it, " Don't tread on me ! " As I know it is the
custom to have some device on the arms of every country, I supposed
this might be intended for the arms of North America. As I have
nothing to do with public affairs, and as my time is perfectly my o-vvn,
in order to divert an idle hour 1 sat down to guess what might have
been intended by this uncommon device. I took care, however, to
consult on this occasion a person acf|uainted with heraldry, from whom
.j^AG or THE UNITED STATES. 215
I learned that it is a rule among the learned in that science that the
worthy properties of an animal in a crest shall be considered, and that
the base ones cannot have been intended. He likewise informed me
that the ancients considered the serpent as an emblem of wisdom, and,
in a certain attitude, of endless duration ; both which circumstances,
I suppose, may have been in view. Having gained this intelligence,
and recollecting that countries are sometimes represented by animals
peculiar to them, it occurred to me that the rattlesnake is found in no
other quarter of the globe than America, and it may therefore have
been chosen on that account to represent her. But then the worthy
properties of a snake, I judged, would be hard to point out. This
rather raised than suppressed my curiosity, and having frequently
seen the rattlesnake, I ran over in my mind every property for which
she was distinguished, not only from other animals, but from those
of the same genus or class, endeavoring to fix some meaning to each
not wholly inconsistent with common sense. I recollected that her
eye exceeded in brightness that of any other animal, and that she had
no eyelids. She may therefore be esteemed an emblem of vigilance.
She never begins an attack, nor, when once engaged, ever surrenders.
She is therefore an emblem of magnanimity and true courage. As if
anxious to prevent all pretensions of quarrelling with the weapons with
which nature favored her, she conceals them in the roof of her mouth,
so that, to those who are unacquainted with her, she appears most
defenceless ; and even when those wea]Dons are shown and extended for
defence, they appear weak and contemptible ; but their wounds, how-
ever small, are decisive and fatal. Conscious of this, she never wounds
until she has generously given notice even to her enemy, and cautioned
him against the danger of treading on her. Was I wrong, sirs, in think-
ing this a strong picture of the temper and conduct of America ?
" ' The poison of her teeth is the necessary means of digesting her
food, and, at the same time, is the certain destruction of her enemies.
This may be understood to intimate that those things which are de-
structive to our enemies may be to us not only harmless, but abso-
lutely necessary to our existence. I confess I was totally at a loss
what to make of the rattles until I went back and counted them, and
found them just thirteen, — exactly the number of colonies united in
America ; and I recollected, too, that this was the only part of the
snake which increased in numbers. Perhaps it may have only been
my fancy, but I conceited the painter had shown a half-formed addi-
tional rattle, which I suppose may have been intended to represent
the province of Canada. 'Tis curious' and amazing to observe how
2in oKKJiN ANi> i'K(t(;i{i:ss OK riii;
distinct aiul iiulependent of eacli other the rattles of this animal are,
anil yet how firmly they are united together so as to he never sepa-
rated except by bivaking them to pieces. One of these rattles, singly,
is incapable of producing sound ; but the ringing of thirteen together
is suflicient to alarm the boldest man living. The rattlesnake is soli-
tary, and a,ss(»ciates with her kind only when it is necessary for her
preservation, lu winter, the warmth of a number together will pre-
serve their lives, whilst singly they would probal)ly perish. The
power of fascination attributed to her by a generous construction may
be understood to mean that those who consider the liberty and bless-
inss which America affords, and once come over to her, never after-
wards leave her, but spend their lives with her. She strongly resem-
bles America in this : that she is beautiful in youth, and her beauty
increases with age ; her tongue also is blue, and forked as lightning,
and her abode is among impenetrable rocks.
" ' Having pleased myself with reflections of this kind, I communi-
cated my sentiments to a neighbor of mine, who has a surprising
readiness at guessing any thing which relates to public affairs ; and,
indeed, I should be jealous of his reputation in that way, were it not
that the event constantly shows that he has guessed wrong. He in-
stantly declared it his sentiment that Congress meant to allude to
Lord North's declaration in the House of Commons, that he never
would relax his measures until he had brought America to his feet, and
to intimate to his lordship that if she was brought to his feet, it would
be dangerous treading on her. But I am positive he has guessed wrong ;
for I am sure Congress would not, at this time of day, condescend to
take the least notice of his lordship in that or any other way. In
which opinion I am determined to remain your humble servant.' "
Colonel Gadsden of South Carolina, a member of the Marine Com-
mittee, presented Congress, on the 8th of February, 1776, "an elegant
standard, such as is to be used by the commander-in-chief of the
American navy ; being a yellow flag, with a lively representation of
a rattlesnake in the middle in the attitude of going to strike, and
•these words underneath, ' Don't tread on inc.'' " Congress ordered that
the said standard be carefidly preserved and suspended in the Con-
gress-room ; and from that tiine it was placed in the southwest corner
of that room, at the left hand of the President's chair.^
It would be interesting to know the further history of this flag,
and what became of it. Such an historical flag would not be pur-
posely destroyed.
1 Drayton's Alemoirs American Revolution, vol. ii. p. 172.
FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES. 217
The first legislation of Congress on the subject of a Federal navy
was in October, 1775, and after that, national cruisers were equipped
and sent to sea on a three months' cruise ; but, so far as we can learn,
witliout any provision for a national ensign, and probably wearing
the colors of the State they sailed from. Before the close of the year,
and before the grand union flag raising at Cambridge, Congress had
authorized a regular navy of seventeen vessels, varying in force from
ten to thirty-two guns ; had established a general prize law, in con-
sequence of the burning of Falmouth by Mowatt ; had regulated the
relative rank of military and naval officers ; had established the pay
of the navy, and appointed (Dec. 22, 1775) Esek Hopkins commander-
in-chief of the naval forces of the embryo republic, fixing his pay at
one hundred and twenty-five dollars a month. At the same time,
captains were commissioned to the Alfred, Columbus, Andrea Doria,
Cabot, and Providence, and first, second, and third lieutenants were
appointed to each of those vessels.
John Adams, a member of the Marine Committee, gives the fol-
lowing reasons for the choice of these names : " The first was named
Alfred, in honor of the founder of the greatest navy that ever existed ;
the second, Columbus, after the discoverer of this quarter of the globe ;
the third, Cabot, for the discoverer of the northern part of this con-
tinent; the fourth, Andrea Doria, in honor of the great Genoese
admiral ; and the fifth. Providence, the name of the town where she
was purchased, and the residence of Governor Hopkins and his brother
Esek, whom we appointed the first captain."
The Alfred was a stout merchant ship, originally called the Black
Prince, and commanded by John Barry. She arrived at Philadelphia
on the 13th of October, and was purchased and armed by the com-
mittee. The Columbus, originally the Sally, was first purchased by
the Committee of Safety of Pennsylvania, and ten days after sold to
the naval committee of Congress. The merchant names of the other
ships I have been unable to ascertain. Notwithstanding the equip-
ping of this fleet, the necessity of a common national flag seems not
to have been thought of, until Doctor Franklin, Mr. Lynch, and Mr?
Harrison were appointed to consider the subject, and assembled at the
camp at Cambridge. The result of their conference was the retention
of the king's colors or union jack, representing the still-recognized
sovereignty of England, but coupled to thirteen stripes, alternate red
and white, emblematic of the union of the thirteen colonies against its
tyranny and oppression, in place of the loyal red ensign.
The new striped flag was hoisted for the first time on the 2d of
218 OKKJIN AND I'lJOCKKSS (iF IlIE
January, 1770, ovur the camp at Cambridge. (leneral "Washing-
ton, writing to .lu.seph JJeed on the 4th ol" January, .says: "We are
at length favored with the sight of his Majesty's most gracious sj)eecl»,
breathing sentiments of tenderness and compassion for liis dehided
American subjects ; the speech I send you (a volume of them was sent
out by the Boston gentry), and, farcical enough, we gave great joy to
them M'ithout knowing or intending it, for on that day (the 2d) which
ga^'e being to our new army, but before the proclamation came to
hand, we hoisted the union flag in compliment to the United Colonies.
But, behold ! it was received at Boston as a token of the deep impres-
sion the speech had made upon us, and as a signal of submission.
" By this time I presume they begin to think it strange that we
have not luade a formal surrender of our lines."
An anonymous letter, written Jan. 2, 1776, says : " The grand union
flag of thirteen stripes was raised on a height near Boston. The regu-
lars did not understand it ; and as the king's speech had just been
read, as they supposed, they thought the new flag was a token of sub-
mission."
The captain of a British transport, writing from Boston to his own-
ers in London, Jan. 17, 1776, says : " I can see the rebels' camp very
I)lain, wdiose colors, a little while ago, were entirely red ; but on the
receipt of the king's speech, which they burnt, they hoisted the union
flag, which is here supposed to intimate the union of the provinces."
The ' British Annual Eegister ' says, " They burnt the king's speech,
and changed their colors from a plain red ground, which they had
hitherto used, to a flag with thirteen strij)es, as a symbol of the union
and number of the colonies."
A letter from Boston, in the ' Pennsylvania Gazette,' says : " The
grand union flag was raised on the 2d, in compliment to the United
Colonies." A British lieutenant, writing from Charlestown Heights,
Jan. 25, 1776, mentions the same fact, and adds: "It was saluted
with thirteen guns and thirteen cheers."
Botta, in his ' History of the American Revolution,' derived from
tjontemporary documents, writes : " The hostile speech of the king at
the meeting of Parliament had arrived in America, and copies of it
were circulated in the camp. It was announced there, also, that the
first petition of Congress had been rejected. The whole army mani-
fested the utmost indignation at this intelligence ; the royal speech
was burnt in public by the infuriated soldiers. They changed at this
time the red ground of their banners, and striped them with thirteen
lists, as an emblem of their number, and the union of the colonies."
FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES.
219
Two and a half months after this grand union flag raising at Cam-
bridge, the flag was displayed for the first time in the streets of Boston.
The occupation of Dorchester Heights compelled the evacuation of
Eoxbury, and on the afternoon of March 17, 1776, a detachment of
Americans, under Colonel Ebenezer Learned, pushed its way through
the crow's-feet and other obstacles thickly strewn in its path, and
unbarred the gates of the deserted stronghold. The flag was borne by
Ensign Eichards, and the troops were accompanied by General Ward.^
We have contemporary evidence enough as to the time and place
when " the grand union striped flag " was first unfurled ; but it will be
observed there is no mention of the color of the stripes placed on the
previously red flag, or the character of its union, or other than pre-
sumptive evidence that it had a union.
Hinman states, in his ' Connecticut in the Eevolution,' that " the
red ground of the American flag was altered to thirteen bbie and white
stripes, as an emblem of the thirteen colonies in war for liberty," Ijut
does not give his authority for the statement.
Bancroft, in his ' History of the United States,' describes this flag
as " the tricolored American banner, not yet spangled with stars, but
showing thirteen stripes, alternate red and white, in the field, and
the united crosses of St. George and St. Andrew on a blue ground in
the corner."
I am informed by Benson J. Lossing, the eminent American histo-
rian, that he furnished Mr. Bancroft with the statement, having found
among the papers of Major-General Pliilip Schuyler, and having in his
possession, a water-color
sketch of the Eoyal Sav-
age, one of the little fleet
on Lake Champlain, in the
summer and winter of
1776, commanded by Ben-
edict Arnold. This draw-
ing is known to be the
Eoyal Savage, being in-
dorsed, in the handwrit-
ing of General Schuyler,
as Captain Wynkoop's
schooner, and Captain, or rather Colonel, Wynkoop is known to have
commanded her at that time. There is no date on the drawing, but it
may be considered as settling what were the characteristic features of
Flag of the Royal Savage, 1776.
1 Drake's Histoiy of Roxbury, 1878.
220 olJKilN A\D ri]f)f:Kl>S n|- IllK
the now fla,u'- At the head (»f the maintop-mast of tlie schooner there
is a Hag pieci.sely like tlie one described by I'ancnd't, ;ind it is tlie nnly
known eontenipdianeous ih'awing of it extant. Through the kindness
of Mr. Lossing, I am alile to give a fac-simile, in size and shape, of tliis
interesting drawing.
In September, 177G, the coutinenLal Itrig Reprisal, IG guns, com-
manded by Captain Lambert Wickes, while lying at Martini(j[ue, wore
a ilag of thirteen stripes, whose field was white and yellow.
In General Arnold's sailing orders for the fleet, he prescribes hoist-
ing the ensign at the main topmast head as the signal for speaking
with the whole fleet, and the same at the fore, for chasing a sail.
The red union ensign had been familiarly known for nearly seventy
years, and nothing would more naturally suggest itself to a people
not yet prepared to entirely sever their connection with the parent
government than to utilize the old flag, and distinguish their emblem
of the new union from the old in this simple manner, rather than seek
further for new devices.
The flag adopted resembled, if it was not exactly the counterpart
of, the flag of the English East India Company then in use, and which
continued the flag of that company, with trifling variations, until its
sovereign sway and empire in the East for over two hundred years
was, in 1834, merged in that of Great Britain.^
^ T/tc East India Company's Ensigns. — This company, whose fii"st charter was granted
Dec. 31, 1600, by Queen Elizabeth to " George, Earl of Cumberland, and two hundred
and fifteen knights, aldermen, and merchants, that at their own costs and charges might
set forth one or more voyages to the East Indies," &c., bore as a crest to their armorial
ensigns a sphere without a frame, bound with a zodiac in bend or, between two sj)lit
florant argents, each charged with a cross gules ; on the sphere the words " Dcus indicet; "
on the shield with other devices were three ships rigged under full sail, pennants and
ensign being argent, and each charged with the same cross gules. The pennants were
long, tapering, and split at the end, while the ensigns were perfectly square.
It is not probable that the East India Company were entitled to bear on their ships
any particular distinguishing flag in the early years of its history, since the royal procla-
mation of James I., issued April 12, 1606, ordered "all subjects
i) of the isle and kingdom of Great Britain, and the members
T r~l f 1 thereof, to bear^n their maintop the union flag, being the red
I ross of St. George and the white cross (saltire) of St. Andrew,
joined upon a blue ground."
At what date a striped flag was ado])ti'd by the East India
' 'ompany is not evident. A contemporary print, presei-veil in
' the British Museum, representing the Puritans in 1644, under
Flag destruyed^t Cheap- gjj. p^^^j.^ Harlow, or Hariey, destroying the cross in Cheap-
side, exhibits several flags, one of which bears two red stripes
on a white field, and the St. George's cross on a white canton, which extends over the, first
two stripes.
FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES.
221
jliiniiiiritiiMiiBiiimaiWliPlllliiMM^^
East India Company's Ensign,
1704.
In 1681, the renewal of the charter of the company by Charles II. vested in it the
power and authority to make peace or war with any nation not being Christians, and
six years later it was ordered the king's union flag should
ki be always used at the Fort St. George.
T — ■ ■ nil].! M.jiiiiT^iiiiiiiimillllHIIIIIIrttltiiiK^ini "
In 1698, a new company was established by act of
Parliament, which soon, however, became incoi-porated
with the former. Its arms were argent, a cross guZes in
the dexter chief quarter, an escutcheon of the arms of
France and England quarterly, crest, two lions rampant,
gardant or, each supporting a banner crest argent charged
with a cross gules.
'The Present State of the Universe,' fourth edition,
London, 1704, by J. Beaumont, Jr., gives as the East
India Company's ensign a flag with thirteen horizontal
stripes, alternate red and white, with a St. George's cross
on a white canton, which rests upon the fourth red stripe.
In the ' Dominion and Laws of the Sea,' published in London in 1705, the East India
Company's flag is pictm-ed with but ten stripes.
In a Dutch work on ship-buUding by Carl Allard, published in Amsterdam the same
year, the East India Company's flag has but nine stripes.
In ' La Connoissance des Pavilions ou Bannieres que la plupart des Nations,' pub-
lished a La Haye, 1737, there are represented many striped flags, among them : —
Pavilion d'escadre, de Division des Vaisseaux Ecossois,
which has eleven stripes, alternate red and white, with the
white canton and red cross resting on the third red stripe.
Pavilion de Rotterdam, which has eleven stripes, alter-
nate white and gi'eeu.
Pavilion de Breriie, which has a head of red and wliite
squares the whole width of the flag, and nine stripes, alter-
nate red and white.
Pavilion d' Enchase Norte Hollande, which has thirteen
stripes, yellow and red.
Pavilion de Rang ou de Division d'escadre [English]
has thirteen stripes, red and white, with St. George's cross
in a canton argrnt.
The East India Company's flag has nine stripes, red and white, with the white canton
and red cross resting on the third red stripe.
The East India Company's flag, in 1834, was cantoned with the union jack of the
LTnited Kingdom, and its field was composed of thirteen alternate red and white stripes,
seven red and six white ; the central red stripe rather wider than the others, and crossed
by a perpendicular red stripe or bar, forming a St. George's cross. It was the white
St. George eusigu, with the addition of six red bars or stripes across its field.
East India Company, 1834.
222
OKKJIN AM) I'K'(K;RKSS (»!' 'I'llK
Commodore I-Iopki^s-s,
KR m CJIIKF of t fie yl MK li ICAN FM,Z£iT,
FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES.
223
ST CEORCES CROSS
ST AnOSEWS CROSS
THE GEA:N^D U:NI0X or COXXmENTAL FLAG OF THE
UNITED COLOXIES.
1776-1777.
It has been suggested that the stripes on our flag, as a symbol of
union, were derived from the national flag of the Netherlands, adopted
as early as 1582, and which then, as now, consisted of three equal
horizontal stripes, symbolic of the
rise of the Dutch republic from
the union at Utrecht.
The stripes on this flag were at
first orange, white, and blue, the
orange in chief. In 1650, after
the death of William II., a red
stripe was substituted for the
orange, and the flag remains with-
out other change to this day.
Hudson, the first to display a
European flag on the waters of
New York, and the explorer of
the river bearing his name, sailed
up the river in 1609, under the
Dutch East India flag, which was
the same as above described, with
the addition of the letters 'A. 0. C.,'
"Algemccne Oost Inclise Convpag-
nie" in the centre of the Avhite
stripe. This was the flag of the
colony of Manhattan established
under the auspices of the Dutch East India Company, until 1622.
When the government fell into the hands of the Dutch West
India Company, the letters ' G. W. C.,' " Gcoctroijeerde Wcst-Indische
Compagnie" were put in the white stripe in place of the letters
'A. O. C This was the dominant flag (with the change of the orange
stripe for a red one in 1650) imtil 1664, when, on the island's sur-
render to the English, the union jack of England supplanted the tri-
color of Holland, and the name of ' New Amsterdam ' was changed to.
'New York.' ^ In July, 1673, the Dutch again took possession of the
city, which they occupied until Nov. 10, 1674, when, by a treaty of
1 Valentine's Manual Coniiiion Couiicil, Xew York, 186.3.
UNION OR KINGS COLORS lio^
= i|lp j*iiiiimi«i[iiiiiiii!i;iiiiiij|
m
|Rl[IINIII[l!!l!iilUII1llIIIlllllN
lllllUIUlilDiUIIUIQIUIIiUllftlllillllUIilll!
VN)ON en⁢
224 ORIGIN AND PROGRESS OF THE
peace between England und Hollaml, the cross of St. George was re-
hoisted over the city.
" From HoHand," argues a writer, " came the emigrants wlio first
planted the seeds of civil and religious lib-
erty and popular education in the Emjjire
State, and from Holland more than any
other land came the ideas of a federal
union,^ which binds together the Ameri-
can States. From Holland, whitlier per-
secution had driven them, also embarked
tlie Pilgrim Fathers, to land uijon our win-
ter-swept and storm and rock Ijouud coast.
Dutch West India Flag. rpj^^ ^^.-^.j^^.^ ^^^, ^^^j^j^j^ Holland SO loug Strug-
gled, and so ably portrayed by Motley in his ' History of the Eise
of the Dutch Republic,' are identical with those which the thirteen
colonies so successfully maintained. What more likely, then," says this
reasoner, " that in adopting a device for a union flag our fathers should
derive the idea from a country to whose example they were already
so much indebted."
A more commonplace origin for the stripes has been suggested.
The continental army of 1775 was without uniforms, and the different
grades were distinguished by means of a stripe or ribbon. The daily
view of these, the only distinguishing marks of rank, would naturally
suggest the same device for representing the United Colonies.^
1 The United Provinces of the Netherlands on their independence devised for their
standard the national lion of Flanders [rampant gu], grasping in his paws a sheaf of seven
arrows or, to denote the seven provinces, and a naked sword, which had been borne by
the counts from the eleventh century. The shield of the arms was azure billetee, and the
whole acliievement was charged upon the white of the flag.
2 Sarmiento's History of our Flag, 1864. The orders to which he refers are to be
found in American Archives, 4th series, vol. ii. p. 1738, viz. : —
"Head-quarters, Cambridge, July 23, 1775.
"Parole, 'Brunswick.' Coitntcrsign, 'Princeton.'
" As the continental army have, unfortunately, no uniforms, and consequently many
inconveniences must arise from not being able always to distinguish the commissioned
officers from the non-commissioned, and the non-commissioned from the privates, it is
desired that some badges of distinction may be immediately provided ; for instance, the
field-ofBcers may have red or pink cockades in their hats, the captains yellow or buff, and
the subalterns gi-een. They are to furnish themselves accordingly. The sergeants may
be distinguished by an epaulette or stripe of red cloth sewed upon the right slioulder ; the
corporals, by one of green.
"Head-quarters, Cambridge, July 24, 1775.
"Parole, 'Salisbury.' Countersign, 'Cumberland.'
"It being thought proper to distinguish the majors from brigadiers general by some
particular mark, for the future major-generals will wear a b)-oad purple ribbon."
FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES.
225
Without far seeking for the origin of the stripes upon our flag, it
is possible that the stripes on liis own escutcheon suggested them
to the mind of Washington. They were also one of the devices on
the flag of the troop of light horse which accompanied Washington
from Philadelphia to New York, when proceeding to assume com-
mand of the army at Cambridge, where they were first shown ; and
it may be that these lists, as they were sometimes called, were adopted
as an easy expedient for converting the red ensigns of the mother
country, by an economical method, into a new flag, representing the
union of the American colonies against
ministerial oppression, when not quite
ready to give up their loyalty to the
"king's colors," which they retained on
the new ensign.
It required the addition of the " new
constellation " to render the stripes sig-
nificant, and give a poetic life and na-
tional character to the flag.
When the Virginia convention at
Williamsburg instructed its delegates in
Congress, May 15, 1776, three weeks be-
fore the Declaration of Independence,
" to declare the United Colonies free and
independent States, absolved from all al-
legiance to dependence upon the crown and parliament of England,
and to propose a confederation of the colonies," there was a great
civil and military parade, when, according to an eye-witness, "the
union flag of the American States" waved upon the Capitol dur-
ing the whole ceremony.^ This could have been no other than the
flag inaugurated by Washington at his camp at Cambridge in Jan-
uary.
In July, 1776, a committee, consisting of Generals Sullivan and
Greene and Lord Stirling, was appointed to devise a system of signals
to be hoisted on the Highlands of Neversink, to give the earliest in-
telligence of the enemy's approach. They proposed that, for any num-
ber of ships from one to six, and from six to twenty-two, and for any
Reduced Fac-simile of Wasbington's
Book-plate.
1 Niles's American Revolution, pp. 251, 252. The toasts at the soldiers' banquet
were : 1st, " The American independent States ; " 2d, " The grand Congress of the United
States and their respective legislatures ; " 3d, " General Washington, and victory to the
American arms. " These toasts were accompanied by salutes of artillery and fexi de joies of
small-arms.
15
226 OPvTrJIX AM) TKonT^ESS OF TTTE
greater number, three large eusigus \vitli Ijruiul siri])es of red and white
shoukl be lioisted.^
Colonel liud. Ititzenia, adtlressing the lueiubers of the New York
Congress, May 31, 1776, says that, the day before, it was given out in
general orders that General Putnani had received a letter from Gen-
eral Washington, requesting all the colonels at New York to immedi-
ately provide colors for their several regiments ; and he asks that Mr.
Curtinius may have directions to provide a pair for his regiment, of
such a color and with such devices as shall be deemed proper l)y the
Congress ; i. e.. New York Provincial Congress.^
On the 4th of July, 1776, after various amendments, the Declara-
tion of Independence from ]\Ir. Jefferson's pen was adopted. The
document was authenticated, like other papers of Congress, by the
signatures of the President and Secretary, and, in addition, was signed
by the members present, with the exception of Mr. Dickenson, of
New York, who, as Mr. Jefferson has testified, " refused to sign." It
did not bear the names of the members of Congress as they finally
appeared upon it. Some days after the Declaration had thus passed,
and had been proclaimed at the head of the army, it was ordered to be
engrossed on parchment, and signed by every member ; and it was not
until the 2d of August that these signatures were made. It is this
copy or form which has been preserved, as the first-signed paper does
not exist, and was probably destroyed.^
No person actually signed the Declaration on the 4th of July. Mr.
Eead, whose name appears among the signers, w'as then actually
against it ; and Morris, Push, Clymer, Smith, Taylor, and Ross, whose
names also appear, were not members on that day, and were not ap-
pointed delegates until the 20th of July. Thornton, of New Hamp-
shire, who entered Congress in November, then placed his name upon
it, and Judge McKeen, who was present, and voted for it, did not sign
until after his return from Washington's camp. It is said that, by a
1 Life of General Nathaniel Greene, vol. i.
2 American Archives, 4tli series, vol. vi. p. 634, and on page 637 is the order he refers
to, viz. : —
"After Orders, May 31, 1776.
" General Wasliington has written to General Putnam desiring liiin in the most press-
ing terms to give positive orders to all the colonels to have colors immediately completed
for their respective regiments."
In a letter to General Putnam, dated May 28, 1776, Washington adds, in a postscript,
" 1 desire you '11 speak to the several colonels, and hurry them to get their colors done."
— Washington Letters, B, vol. i. p. 316.
^ E. A. Pollard, in Lippincott's Magazine, July, 1872.
FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES. 227
secret resolution, no member of the first year should hold his seat in
Congress until he became a subscriber.^
The first legislation of the Continental Congress on the subject of
a federal navy was on the 18th of October, 1775, and cruisers were
about that time equipped and sent to sea ou a three months' cruise,
under the pine-tree flag, but without any provision for a national en-
sign. Two days later, Oct. 20, 1775, Washington writes to Colonel
Glover and Stephen Moylan, " Please fix upon some particular flag,
and a signal by which our vessels may know one another. What do
you think of a flag with a white ground, a tree in the middle, the
motto, ' Appeal to Heaven.' This is the flag of our floating batteries.
We are fitting out two vessels at Plymouth, and when I next hear
from you on this subject I will let them know the flag and the signal,
that we may distinguish our friends from our foes." ^
Mr. Moylan replies : " The schooner sailed this morning. As they
had none but their old colors, we appointed them a signal that they
may know each other by, and be known to their friends, — as the en-
sign up the main topping lift." ^
Before the close of the year, and before the grand union flag raising
at Cambridge, a regular navy of seventeen vessels, varying in force
from ten to thirty-two guns, was ordered, a general prize law estab-
lished, the relative rank of military and naval officers regulated, and
Esek Hopkins, Esq., appointed commander-in-chief of the naval forces
of the embryo republic. At the same time, Dec. 22, 1775, captains
were commissioned for the purchased vessels, and first, second, and
third lieutenants appointed to each. Under the same law the pay of
the commander-in-chief of the fleet was fixed at one hundred and
twenty-five dollars a month. Such was the humble beginning of a
national naval organization. Cruisers armed and equipped by and
holding commissions from the several colonies had been fitted and
continued to be sent out for some time after under their colonial or
State flags, and probably continued to fly them until the close of the
war.
The floating batteries of Pennsylvania, in the Delaware, carried the
pine-tree flag in the autumn of 1775. According to the English
newspapers, privateers throughout the year 1776, wearing a flag
of this description, were captured and carried into British ports.
The Yankee Hero was captured under these colors in June. Com-
1 Watson's Annals of Philadelphia, 2 Washiugton's Letters, B, vol. i. p. 84.
^ Washington's Letters, vol. vii. p. 106.
228 (n:u;iN and 1'i:()(;ki:s.s of riii-:
mutlore Tucker has related that he hoisted them on the Fninklin in
January, ITTd, ami under them captured the .^liip George and brig
Arabella.
Dec. 21, 1775. The i)rovince of North Carolina authorized three
armed vessels to be htted out with all despatcli Inr the protection <>{'
the trade of that province.
Xov. 11, 1775. The South Carolina Colony schooner Defence, pro-
ceeding to sink some hulks in Hog Island Creek, Charleston Harbor,
was fired at by the king's ships Tamar, of sixteen, and Cherokee, of
six guns. Fort Johnson discharged some 2G-pounders at the king's
ships.
Nov. 14, 1775. Clement Lempriere was appointed captain of the
sliip Prosper, fitting and arming for South Carolina, and other officers
were appointed to her.
Throughout October, 1776, the navy board of South Carolina made
various provisions for a State navy, and commissioned officers fur it
and vessels.^
Dec. 20, 1775. A committee was appointed by the New York
Provincial Congress to purchase and equip a proper vessel for the
defence of the East Piiver, her cost not to exceed £600.
Jan. 22, 1776. The Committee of Safety of the Provincial Con-
gress of New York wrote to the delegates from New York to the Con-
tinental Congress, that they are informed by one of those delegates
that the Continental Congress will take into the continental service
the sloop Sally, purchased December 20 by Colonel McDougall for
the defence of the colony for £325, and request, " Should it so be de-
termined, her fiag sJwidd be described to them," — showing that at that
time the New York Committee of Safety were not informed what the
continental flag was.^
April, 1776, the Massachusetts Council passed a series of resolu-
tions providing for the regulation of the sea service ; among them was
the following : —
" Resolved, That the uniform of the officers be green and white, and
that they furnish themselves accordingly, and that the colors be a
white flag with a green pine-tree, and the inscription, ' An appeal to
Heaven.' "
The following order to the commander of one of these State cruisers
was issued later in the year : —
1 American Archives, vol. ii. 5th series, pp. 1323-1329.
2 Anierican Archives, vol. iv. 4th series.
FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES. 229
" State of Massachusetts Bay to John Clouston, Commander of the Sloojo
Freedom, in the service of said State.
" You are hereby directed, and commanded to repair, with the vessel
under your command, to the harbor of Boston, in company with the sloop
Eepublick, commanded by John Foster Williams, now in Dartmouth, and
there to await the further orders of the council.
"By order of the major part of the council, the 4th of September, 1776.
" Samuel Adams, Secretary.
" Returns of officers on hoard the armed slooj) called the Freedom, whereof
John Clouston is coTnmander : — John Clouston, captain • James Scott,
first lieutenant; Timothy Tobey, second lieutenant. In council, Sept. 4,
1776, read and ordered that the above officers be commissioned agreeably to
their respective rank.
"Samuel Ada^is, Secretary.''
Philadelphia, June 6, 1776. Two privateers belonging to this port
have taken three very A^aluable ships bound from Jamaica to London,
laden with rum, sugar, molasses, &c., having also a large quantity of
dollars and plate on board. We hear that on board of the above ships
there were several very fine sea-turtles, intended as a present to Lord
North, one of which, with his lordship's name nicely cut in the shell,
was yesterday presented by the captain to the M'orthy president of the
American Congress.
June 29, 1776, an ordinance passed the Virginia Convention estab-
lishing a board of commissioners to superintend and direct the naval
affairs of that colony.^
Senior of the five first lieutenants of the new continental navy
stood John Paul Jones, who was commissioned to the Alfred, then in
the Delaware, designed to be the flag-ship of the commander-in-
chief, Esek Hopkins, and of which Dudley Saltonstall, Esq., was the
captain.
Paul Jones has recorded that ' the Flag of America ' was hoisted
by him, " by his ovm hand" ^ on board the Alfred,^ and adds, " being
the first time it was ever displayed by a regular man-of-war." From
1 American Archives, vol. vi. 4th series, p. 1598.
'^ Mackenzie's Life of J. Paul Jones, vol. i. p. 22 ; J. F. Cooper's Life of Jones,
p. 17 ; Emmons's United States Navy, 1775-1853 ; Sands's Life of Jones, p. 33, who
adds, " He does not mention the date of this transaction, nor has the present compiler been
able to fix it."
3 All the commissions for the Alfred were made out before those for the Columbus.
Sands's Life of Jones, p. 35.
230 (»Kl(;iN ANI> I'IMUnJKSS OF THE
this wc iiuiy infi'V it IkkI been previously displayed by some of the
State cruisers.
In a letter to llobert Morris, dated Oct. 10, 1783, Jones .says : " It
was my fortune, as the senior lirst lieutenant, to hoist the ' flag of
America' the first time it was displayed. Thounjh this wtus 1ml a
light circumstance, yet I feel for its honor more than I think I should
have done if it had not happened."
In a letter to Baron Yander Capellan, Jones says : " America has
been the country of my fond election, from the age of thirteen when
I first saw it. I had the honor to hoist with my own hands the flag
of freedom, the first time it was displayed on the Delaware ; and 1
have attended it with veneration ever since on the ocean."
Jones's commission is dated the 7th of December, but as the flag is
said to have been hoisted for the first time when the commander-in-
chief embarked on the Alfred, and his commission was not issued
until the 22d of December, it would seem probable either that Christ-
mas or New Year's day would be selected for its display. The latter
would bring its hoisting to the same date as the raising of the union
flag in the lines of the army at Cambridge.
Could the log-book of the Alfred referred to in the following letter
be found, the precise date when Jones hoisted the flag of America
would be kno\\Ti.
"Captain Jones to Colonel Tillinghast.
"Sloop Providence, June 20, 1776.
" Sir, — I have made so many unsuccessful attempts to convey the Fly
past Fisher's Island, that I have determined to give it up, and pursue my
orders for Boston. When I arrive there I will transmit you my letter of
attorney ; in the mean time you will singularly oblige me by applying to
the admiral for an order to receive for me a copy of the Alfred's log-book,
which I had made out for my private use before I left the ship, and which
was unjustly withheld from me when I took command of the sloop, by the
ill-natured and narrow-minded Captain Saltonstall. When the old gentle-
man was down here he promised to order that my copy should be delivered ;
but when my lieutenant applied for it, the master of the Alfred told the ad-
miral a cursed lie, and said there was no copy made out. On inquiry, you
Avill hnd that 'Mr. Vaughan, the mate of the Alfred, made out tlie copy in
question for me before I went to New York.
" I should not be so particular, did I not stand in absolute need of it
before I can make out a fair copy of my journal to lay before the Congress,
for I was so stinted in point of time in the Alfred, that I did not copy a
single remark ; besides, it is a little hard that I, who planned and superin-
FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES. 231
tended the log-book, should not be thought worthy a copy, when a midship-
man, if he pleases, may claim one. I take it for granted that you will receive
the book ; I must therefore beg you to send it, if possible, to me at Mr. John
Head's or Captain J. Bradford's, Boston. Regard not the expense, I will
cheerfully pay it.
" I am, sir, Avith esteem, your obliged and very humble servant,
"J. Paul Jones."
The Alfred, for which the high honor is claimed of being first
to wear ' the flacf of America,' as well as the standard or flag of the
first naval commander-in-chief, was originally a merchant vessel called
the Black Prince. She arrived at Philadelphia from London under
the command of Captain Barry, October 13,^ and was purchased and
armed by the committee. According to our present ideas, she was a
small ship, though a stout vessel of her class at that time, mounting
twenty 9-pounders on her main deck, and from one to two guns on
her quarter deck and forecastle. When captured, in 1778, by H. B. M.
ships Ariadne and Ceres, her captors reported her as mounting twenty
9-pounders on a single deck, having no spar deck battery. The weight
of shot thrown from her entire battery or both broadsides was not
equal to the weight of a single shot thrown by one of our modern
monitors. Such have been the changes in naval warfare within a
hundred years.
I have said that Christmas or New Year's day was probably se-
lected for hoisting the flag of America, but there is evidence showing
that it, or at least a continental flag, was hoisted over the Alfred as early
as the 3d of December, before any of the officers of our infant navy
had been commissioned. A letter addressed to the Earl of Dartmouth,
and dated from ' Mar3dand, Dec. 20, 1775,' says : "Their harbors by
spring will swarm with privateers : an admiral is appointed, a court
established, and on the 3d inst. [December] the continental flag on board
the Black Prince opposite Philadelphia was hoisted." ^ Another let-
ter to a friend in England says : " The Black Prince [Alfred], a fine
vessel, carries a flag, and mounts from twenty to thirty 12 and 16
pounders, besides swivels, and fights mostly underdeck."
It is not known with certainty what flag Jones calls ' the flag of
America,' though there are reasons for supposing it the grand union
1 "The Black Prince, Campbell, arrived at Falmoutli from Pliiladelpliia, Oct. 31,
1775." — Boston Gazette, Feb. 3, 1776. Either this was another ship of the same name, or
there is a mistake of dates. A vessel called the Black Prince was one of the Saltonstall
e.xpedition, and was burnt by the enemy.
2 See letter signed B. P., Niles's American Pievolution, Baltimore, 1S22, p. 541.
2r.2 ()Ki(;i\ AND i'K(t(;i{i:ss of tiih
flag of thirteen stripes displayed at Cambridge on tliu 2d of .lanuary,
and identic-id with the " union Hag" ilisplaycd hy tin- ^'irginiil C(ni-
vention in May.
In the day-signals for the fleet to the several captains in the llect, as
sailing from the capes of Delaware, Feb. 17, 177(3, tlie signal for the
Providence to chase was a " St. George's ensign with stripes at the
mizzen peak." For a general attack, or the whole fleet to engage,
" the standard at the maintop masthead with the striped jack and en-
sign at their proper places." This standard was prol^ably the rattle-
snake flag mentioned elsewhere. The striped jack may have been a
flag of thirteen stripes, with a rattlesnake undulating ujjon it.^
1 Tlie following are these orders in full, taken from Aniciiean Archives, 4tli series,
vol. iv. p. 179, &e. They are undoubtedly the first signals used by our navy.
Orders given the several Captains in the Fleet at sailing from the Capes
OF THE Delaware, Feb. 17, 1776.
Sir, — You are hereby ordered to keep company with me, if possible, and truly ob-
serve the signals given by the ship I am in ; but in case you should be separated in a gale
of wind or otherwise, you then are to use all possible means to join the fleet as soon as
possible ; but if you cannot, in four days after you leave the fleet you are to make the
best of your way to the southern part of Abaco (one of the Bahama islands) and there
wait for the fleet fourteen days. But if the fleet does not join you in that time, you are
to cruise in such places as you think will most annoy the enemy. And you are to send into
port, for trial, all British vessels, or property, or other vessels, with any supplies lor the
ministerial forces, who you may make yourself master of, to such places as you may think
best within the United Colonies. In case you are in any givat danger of being taken, you
are to destroy these orders and your signals.
EzECK Hopkins, Commaiulcr-in-chief.
Signals for the American Fleet by Day.
For sailing : Loose the foretopsaO, and sheet it home.
For vjcighing and coming to sail : Loose all the topsails, and sheet them home.
For tJie fleet to anchor : Clew up the maintopsail, and hoist a weft in the ensign.
For seeing a strange vessel : Hoist the ensign, and lower and hoist it as many times as
you see vessels, allowing two minutes between each time.
For clmsing : For the whole fleet to chase, a red pendant at the foretopmast head.
To give over the clmse : A white pendant at the foretopmast head.
For tlie Columbus to chase: Strike the broad pendant half mast, to be answered by a
weft in tlie ensign, and making sail.
To cluisc to windward: Hoist the ensign, lowering the pendant at the same time ; if
to leeward, not.
To give over the chase : A white pendant at the foretopmast head, and if at a great
distance, fire a gun at the same time. This may serve for any of the vessels to give over
the chase and return to the fleet.
For the Andrew Doria to chase : A Dutch flag at the foretopmast head.
To chase to windward : Hoist the ensign, lowering the pendant at the same time : if
to leeward, not.
To give over tlie chase : A white pendant at the foretopmast head, and if at a great
distance, fire a gun at the same time.
FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES. 233
A contemporary account says that, in the succeeding February,
Admiral Hopkins sailed from Philadelphia with the American fleet.
For the Cabot to chase: A white flag at the foretopmast liead. To chase to windward,
&c., as above.
For the Providence to chase : A St. George's ensign with stripes at the mizzen peak.
To chase to windward, as above.
For the Fly to chase : A Dutch flag at the maintopmast head. To chase to windward,
&c., as above.
For the Hornet to chase : A red pendant at the maintopmast head. To chase to mnd-
ward, &c., as above.
For the Wasp to chase : A Dutch flag at the mizzen peak. To chase to windward, &c. ,
as above.
For a Genercol Attack, or the wlwle Fleet to engage.
The standard at the maintopmost head, with the striped jack and ensign at their
proper places.
To disengage and form into a squadron : A white flag at the ensign staff", and the
same into a weft for every vessel to make the best of their way off" from the enemy for
their own preservation.
For all captaiiis to come on board the Commodore : A red pendant at the ensign staff".
To speak vjith the Columbus : A white pendant at the mizzen topmast head.
To speak with the Andrew Doria : A Dutch flag at the mizzen topmast head.
To speak with the Cabot : A weft in a jack at the mizzen topmast head.
To speak with the Providence : A white flag at the mizzen tojimast head.
To speak with the Fly : A Dutch flag at the ensign staff".
For any vessel in the fleet that wants to speak with the Commodore : A weft in the en-
sign, and if in distress, accompanied with two guns.
To fall into a line abreast : A red pendant at the mizzen peak.
To fall into a line ahead: A white pendant at the mizzen peak.
For meeting after a separation : A weft in an ensign, at the maintopmast head, to be
answered with the same, and clewing up the maintop gallant sail, if they have any set.
For the ship Providence to chase : A red pendant at the mizzen topmast head. TO'
chase to windward, as before.
To speak with the ship Providence : A weft in the ensign at the ensign staff.
Among the signal flags to be used by the fleet under Abraham Whipple, commodore
commanding, given under his hand on board the continental frigate, Providence, Nan-
tasket Roads, Nov. 22, 1779, are mentioned : —
A continental ensign. A Butch jack and ensign. A striped flag, and
A continental jack. A white ensign. A white jack.
A red ensign.
Among the signals prescribed to be observed by commanders in the continental navy,
and issued by order of the Marine Committee, .Jan. 14, 1778, are mentioned as to be
used, —
A French jack and A continental jack.
Colonel Reigart, in his unreliable pamphlet, assigns a particular flag to each vessel of
this squadron, — but without giving any authority for his statement, and in all my re-
searches I have never found any, — which is, viz. : that " the Alfred carried a pine-tree flag,
presented by Connecticut ; the Columbus, the red cross of St. George, presented by Ver-
mont ; the Andrea Doria, the white cross of St. Andrew, presented by Philadelphia ; the
Cabot, a white silk pine-tree flag from Connecticut ; the Providence, St. Andrew's cross,.
2:U oiJiciN AM) i'i;(>(;i;i:ss of TllK
"amidst the acclamations of tliousauds assembled on tin; joyful occa-
sion, under the display of tlu! union (laj^, with thirteen stripes in the
iield, emblematical of the thirteen I'nited Colonies."
The first achievement of this s(|u;nh(in was the capture of New
Providence, and a writer from thence to the ' London Ladies' ]\Ia^a-
ziue/ underrate May 13, 1770, mentions that the colors of the Amer-
ican fleet were " striped under the union, with thirteen stripes, and their
standard [admiral's flag] a rattlesnake ; motto, ' Don't tread on me.' "
This confirms my opinion that ' the flag of America ' was no other
than the grand union flag of Cambridge, and that the commander-in-
chief^s flag was the yellow flag presented by Colonel Gadsden, and
heretofore described.
At the Naval Academy, Annapolis, there is preserved a mezzotinto
engraving of " Commodore Hopkins, commander-in-chief of tlie American
fleet , iniMishcd as the laio directs, 2 2d August, 1776, by Thomas Hart,
London, which has been transferred to glass and colored." ^ I have a
copy of this mezzotinto from which the illustration has been engraved.^
The commodore is represented in the naval continental uniform,* with
presented by Ehode Island ; the Honiet, the yellow silk flag of Virginia, with rattlesnake ;
the Wasp, the yellow silk flag of South Carolina, with a crescent, a beaver, a rattle-
snake, and motto, ' Don't tread on me ; ' the despatch vessel Fly, bearing a blue flag with
red cross of St. George." As these vessels were not fitted out or equipped by the colo-
nies to which he assigns them, without further authority his statement with regard to
the flags cannot be credited.
^ There are extant other copies of this engraving. C. J. Bushnell, Esq., of New
York, lias one. It is inscribed like the other, 22d August, 1776. Hon. J. R. Bartlett,
of Providence, also has a copy. Mr. Bushnell has a similar engraving of Charles Lee,
which has over a cannon a flag-staff, attached to which is a white flag bearing the motto,
"An Appeal to Heaven." This cngi'aving is inscribed, "Charles Lee, Esq., major-general
of the continental forces in America. Published as the act directs Oct. 31, 1775, by C.
Shepherd. Thomtinson, pinxt." Mr. Bushnell has also a similar engiaving of General
Gates, which exhibits at his a-ight hand a flag with thirteen black bars and thirteen white.
It is inscribed, " Horatio Gates, Esq., major-genei-al of the American forces. London, pub-
lished as the act directs, Jan. 2, 1778, by John Morris." I have seen a colored copy of
this engraving, in which General Gates is dressed in a red coat with white or buff facing,
and the thiiteen black bars on the flag are painted red.
2 See p. 222.
3 This, the first uniform of the continental navy, was prescribed by the Marine Com-
mittee, just two weeks after the date of this engi'a^ing.
Uniform of Navy and Marine Officers.
Ix Marine Committee, Philadelphia, Sept. 5, 1776.
Resolved, That the uniform of the officers of the navy in the United Slates be as fol-
lows : —
Captains: Blue cloth with red lapels, slash cuff, stand-up collar, flat yellow but-
tons, blue breeches, red waistcoat with yellow lace.
FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES. 235
a drawn sword. At his right hand there is a flag of thirteen stripes with
a snake undulating across them, and underneath it the motto, " Dont
lAeuteTvants : Blue with red lapels, a round cutf faced, staud-up collar, yellow but-
tons, blue breeches, red waistcoat, plain.
Master : Blue with lapels, round cuff, blue breeches, and red waistcoat.
Midshipmen : Blue lapelled coat, a round cuff faced with red, stand-up collar, with
red at the button and button-hole, blue breeches, and red wai-stcoat.
Uniform of the Marine Officers.
A green coat faced with white, round cuff, slashed sleeves and pockets, with buttons
round the cuff, silver epaulette on the right shoulder, skirts turned back, buttons to suit
the facings. White waistcoat, and breeches, edged with gi'een, black gaiters, and garters-
Green shirts for the men, if they can be procured.
Extract from the ilinutes :
JoHX Bkown, Secretary.
American Archives, 5th series, vol. ii. p. 181.
This uniform does not appear to have been satisfactory, for in March, 1777, the major
part of the captains at Boston agi'eed upon the following uniform di'ess for the navy : —
Full Dress for Post Captains.
Dark blue coat, white lining, white cuffs, and narrow white lapels the whole length
of the waist. The coats full trimmed with gold lace or embroidered button-holes ; the
buttons at equal distance asunder on the lapels, the upper part of the lapels to button
on the upper pai-t of the shoulder, three buttons on each pocket flap, three on each cuff.
Stand-up blue collars. White waistcoats, breeches, and stockings. Dress swords. Plain
hats with black cockades and gold buttons and loops. Gold epaulettes on the right
shoulder, the figure of a rattlesnake embroidered on the straps of the epaulettes, with the
motto, " Dont tread on me." The waistcoat trimmed with gold lace, yellow flat buttons,
with the impression of the rattlesnake and the motto " Dmi't tread, on me" on each of
them.
Undress for Post Captains.
The same as dress coats, with the difference that the undress coats have frock backs
and turn-down white collars.
Dress for Lieutenants.
The same as for post captains, excepting the lace and embroidery and the epaulettes,
and that instead of the rattlesnake they wear buttons with the impression of an anchor.
Evidently lieutenants were not allowed epaulettes.
Undress for Lieutenants.
The same as for post captains, excepting the lace, embroidery, and the epaulettes and
buttons, and that the coats be made short, or such as are usually called 'coatees.'
Dress and Undress for Masters and Midshipmen.
The same as for lieutenants, excepting the lapels, and tliat they wear turn-do«-n col-
lars on their dress and undress coats.
The dress and undress for commanders of ships and vessels under twenty guns to be
the same as for post captains, excepting the epaulettes.
This uniform proposition I found among tlie 'Paul Jones MS.' in the Congressional
Library, and is signed by Captains Jolin Jlanly, Hector McXeil, Dudley Saltonstall,
E. Hinman, .Joseph Olney, John Roche, and John Paul Jones, and by Captain JlcXeil
for Captain William Thompson, and by Captain Olney for Captain Abraham "Wliipple.
Evidently this uniform was adopted by Jones, if by no one else ; for John Adams,
!>.",() OinciN AM) PROGRESS OF THE
iiraiJ on nu." There is no union to the ila^j, and it may represent
the striped jack mentioned in his sij^iiuls to the ileet. Over his left
hand is a white Hag with the Massachusetts pine-tree, and over it the
words, "Zibo'ti/ Tree," and under it, "An ApjJeal to God."
F. J. Dreer, of Philadelphia, has a smaller French engraving, evi-
dently from the same painting, inscribed : " Cummodorc Hupldns, Com-
■mandeur en Chef dcs Amerj : Flottc" It is without date, and only
shows the flag at Hopkins's right hand, which is hoisted on the ensign
staff of a ship of the line, and has the thirteen red and white stripes,
without any union, rattlesnake, motto, or other device. The ship has
pennants at each masthead. In this engraving the left hand of the
commodore, and ship and flag over it, are not shown. ^
Cooper is of opinion that the flag hoisted by Jones was a pine-tree
flag with a rattlesnake coiled at its roots, and the motto. Such flags
were hoisted over the Massachusetts State cruisers, and it is possible
such a flag was hoisted over the Alfred ; but Jones would scarcely
have called it " the Flag of America." The proof is certain, however,
that the squadron sailed under striped ensigns. Whether the stripes
were red and white, or blue and white, or red, blue, and white alter-
nately, seems not certain. A writer in the ' Boston Post,' in 1853,
asserted he had then before him a fac-simile of the flag used by the
Confederate States from July, 1776, until the adoption of the stars
and stripes, and that in the union emblem of the stripes there is a
rattlesnake coiled up and ready to strike, with the usual motto under-
neath. A writer in 'Harper's Magazine,' in 1855, says, without citing
his authority : " The Alfred was anchored off the foot of Walnut Street.
On a brilliant morning early in February, 1776, gay streamers were
seen floating from every masthead and spar on the river. At nine
o'clock a full-manned barge threaded its way among the floating ice
who was a passenger to L'Orient in the Alliance, Captain Landais, \vrites in his diary
at that port, May, 1779 : —
" After dinner, walked out with Captains Jones and Landais to see Jones's marines
dressed in the English uniforms, red and white. A number of very active and clever
sergeants and corporals are employed to teach them the exercise and manoeuvres and
marches', &c., after which Jones came on board our ship. This is the most ambitious
and intriguing officer in the American navy. Jones has art and secrecy, and aspires
very high. You see the character of the man in his uniform and that of liis officers and
marines, variant from the uniforins established by Congress, — golden button-holes for him-
self, two epaulettes ; marines in red and white instead of green. Eccentricities and
irregularities are to be expected from him, — they are in his character, they are visible in
his eyes. His voice is soft and still and small ; liis eye lias keenness and wildness and
softness in it."
^ Mr. Bushnell has another French engraving of Hopkins, undated. It is in an oval,
surrounded by emblems, &c., and under it are the two flags shown in the Hart engiaving.
FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES. 237
to the Alfred, bearing the commodore, who had chosen that vessel for
his flag-ship. He was greeted by the thunders of artillery and the
shouts of a multitude. When he reached the deck of the Alfred,
Captain Saltonstall gave a signal, and Lieutenant Jones hoisted a new
flag prepared for the occasion. It was of yellow silk, bearing a pine-tree,
with the significant device of a rattlesnake, and the ominous motto,
' DonH tread on me!'''' This is like the flag presented by Colonel
Gadsden to Congress, in February, for the use of the commander-in-
chief of the American navy, with the addition of a pine-tree.
An English writer of the period is quoted by Eobert C. Sands, in
his ' Life of Paul Jones,' as saying : —
" A strange flag has lately appeared in our seas, bearing a pine-tree
with the portraiture of a rattlesnake coiled up at its roots, with these
daring words, ' Dont tread on me! We learn that the vessels bearing
this flag have a sort of commission from a society of people at Phila-
delphia calling themselves the Continental Congress."
Miss Sarali Smith Stafford informed me, in 1873, that when she was
about eleven years old her father took her to New York, where she was
shown several flags of the era of the Eevolution, and well remembered
seeing one with stripes, and a snake stretched out and partially con-
cealed in grass, with the head a little elevated. This emblem created
a great impression on her, as she had never seen a snake.
A letter from Williamsburg, Va., dated April 10, 1776, states that
a British cruiser, the Eoebuck, had taken two prizes in Delaware,
which she decoyed into her reach by hoisting a continental union
flag. The af&davit of Mr. Berry, master's mate of the ship Grace,
captured by the Roebuck, confirms the letter.^
Another letter, from Williamsburg, Va., May 11, 177G,^ describes
the colors of the American fleet as follows : " The colors of the Ameri-
can fleet have a snake with thirteen rattles (the fourteenth budding ^),
in the attitude of going to strike, with this motto, ' Don't tread on me! "
John F. Watson ^ states that the AUiance, frigate, when commanded
• Pennsylvania Evening Post, June 20, 1776.
2 American Archives, 4th series, vol. vi. p. 420; also Boston Gazette, April 14, 1777.
This letter bears no signature, but immediately above it and on the same page in ' Ameri-
can Archives ' there is a letter of the same date from Williamsburg, addressed by General
Charles Lee to General Washington.
3 The half-formed additional rattle was said by Franklin to represent tlie Province of
Canada, and the wise man added that "the rattles are united together so that they can
never be separated but by breaking to pieces." — Charles Sumner's Lecture, 'Are we a
Nation ? '
* Annals of New York, p. .34.
2;J.S nHK;iN AM) iMjncijKss or 'I'iik
l»y .Tones, horc tliu "national Hag of the coiled-np rattlesnake and
thirteen .strijies. Watson must 1)e mistaken, since the Alliance was
not launched until 1777, and Jones did not etmimand iier until 1779,
when she must have carried the stars and stripes. On Dec. 17, 1779,
the Dutch admiral at the Texel wrote Jones, asking to be inlornied
whether the Alliance M'as a French or an American vessel ; if the hrst,
the admiral expected him to show his commission and di.splay the
French ensign and pendant, under a salute ; if an American, that he
should lose uo occasion to depart. The French commissary of ma-
rine urged him to satisfy all parties by hoisting French colore ; but
Jones refused to wear any other than ' the Americcm fiag^ and sent
word to the admiral that under that flag he should proceed to sea
whenever the pilot would undertake to carry the ship out.
Ten days after, on the morning of the 27th of December, Jones went
to sea, and had the satisfaction of wanting to Mr. Dumas, Ijy the pilot :
" I am here, my dear sir, with a good wind at east, and under my hcst
American colors." Favored by a strong east wind, the Alliance the
next day passed through the Straits of Dover, with her colors set, run-
ning close to the Goodwin Sands, in full view of the fleet anchored in
the Downs only three or four miles to leeward. On the 29tli she
reconnoitred the fleet at Spitliead, still showing her colors, and on the
18th of January, 1780, was fairly out of the Channel.^
It is claimed for Commodore Barney that he first hoisted 'the
continental flag' in Maryland. He w^as appointed second in rank
to the sloop Hornet, one of Hopkins's squadron. A crew had not
been shipped, and the duty of recruiting fell upon him. Fortunately
for his purpose, just at this moment a new ' American flag,' sent by
Commodore Hopkins for the service of the Hornet, arrived from Phil-
adelphia, tlie first that had been seen in the State of ]\Iaryland. His
biographer calls it a star-spangled banner ; but that is evidently her
mistake. The next morning at sunrise Barney unfurled it, to the
music of drums and fifes, and, hoisting it upon a staff, planted it with
his own hands at the door of his rendezvous. The sound of the
martial music, then a novelty in Baltimore, and the still more novel
sight of the rchel colors gracefully waving in the breeze, attracted
crowds of all ranks and sizes to the gay scene of the rendezvous ;
and before the setting of the same day's sun the young recruiting
officer had enlisted a full crew of joll}'' rebels for the Hornet.^
That Paul Jones was the first to hoist the new continental flag
1 Mackenzie's Life of Paul Jones, vol. i. pp. 252, 253.
* Life of Commodore Joshua Barney, by ^Laiy Barney.
FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES. 239
has been doubted ; and Cooper remarks, he may have been mistaken : ^
" He always claimed to have been the first man to hoist the flag of
1775 in a national ship, and the first man to show the present ensign
on board a man-of-war. This may be true or not. There -was a
weakness about the character of the man that rendered him a little
liable to self-delusions of this nature ; and while it is probable he was
right as to the flag which was shown before Philadelphia, the town
where Congress w^as sitting, it is by no means as reasonable to sup-
pose that the first of the permanent flags [stars and stripes] was shown
at a place as distant as Portsmouth. The circumstances are of no
moment, except as they serve to betray a want of simplicity of char-
acter, that was rather a failing with the man, and his avidity for per-
sonal distinction of every sort."
John Adams, who certainly did not love Jones, writing Elbridge
Gerry, Vice-President of the United States, from Quincy, Jan. 28,
1813,2 disputes this claim of Jones, and says, with the pride of a
Massachusetts man : " Philadelphia is now boasting that Paul Jones
has asserted in his Journal that ' his hand hoisted the first American
flag,' and Captain Barry has asserted that ' the first British flag was
struck to him ; ' now I assert that the first American flag was hoisted
by Captain John Manly, and the first British flag was struck to him.
You were not in Congress in 1775, but you was in the State Con-
gress, and must have known the history of Manly's capture of the
transport which contained the mortar^ which afterwards, on Dor-
chester Heights, drove the English army from Boston, and navy from
the harbor."
He also wrote John Langdon, who was a member of the first
IVIarine Committee, Jan. 24, 1813 : " My recollection has been excited
lately by information from Philadelphia that Paul Jones has written
in his Journal, ' My hand first hoisted the American flag,' and that
Captain Barry used to say that the first British flag was struck to
1 Cooper's Life of Paul Jones, p. 31.
- Austin's Life of Elbridge Gerry.
^ The transport brig Nancy, with military stores, several brass guns, and one mor-
tar, was captured by the schooner Lee, Captain John Manly, of four gi^ns, ten swivels,
and fifty men, on the 29th of November, 1775. December 8, he captured the ship Jenny,
of two guns, loaded with provisions, and the brig Hannah, and beat off a British schooner
of eiglit guns, having two vessels under convoy.
Captain Barry did not get to sea in the Lexington until February, 1776. "We have
no account of the flag worn by Manly. It was probably the jiine-tree flag. I think
Jones may retain liis honors, and for Barry, it can be truthfully claimed that he was the
first under the striped flag to capture an armed vessel of the enemy. The fortunate cap-
ture of the Nancy is alluded to in one of Mr. John Adams's letters.
240 OKK.IN A.M> l'K<Miia:ss OF TUl-:
liiiii. r.ntli llit'SL' vain ))i):i-ts 1 kiutw to 1)0 lalsi*, and as you know
theiii to bu so, 1 wish your tcsUniony to corroljorate mine. It is \u)l
decent uor just that these emigrants, loreij^aiers of the South, shouhl
lalsely aiTogate to themselves merit that belongs to New England
sailors, otticers and men."
Mr. Langdon replied IVom Tortsmuuth, " Jan. 27, 1813, the
appointment of IManly and his successors must be well known
throughout the United States. As to Paul Jones, if my memory
serves me, pretending to say that ' this hand first hoisted the Ameri-
can fiag,' and Captain Barry, that ' the first British fiag was struck to
him/ they are both unfounded, as it is impressed on my mind that
many prizes were brought into tlie Xew England States before their
names were mentioned." ^
The brig Lexington, mounting fourteen 4-pounders, commanded by
Ca}itain John Barry, has been credited as the first of the new con-
tinental marine to get to sea and to display the striped Hag upon the
ocean. There had been private and colonial marine enterprises and
cruisers previously, as there were later. Two vessels, the Lynch and
the Franklin, had been commissioned by General Wasliington, and
had sailed under the pine-tree flag, and two small vessels, the Wasp
and Hornet, had come around from Baltimore to join the fleet in the
Delaware; 2 but it was claimed for the Lexington that she was the
first to get to sea. Cooper, in the early editions of his ' Naval His-
tory,' so asserted ; but in later editions he says an examination of the
private papers of Captain Barry has shown him that Captain Barry
was actually employed on shore or in the ])elaware for a short
time after Commodore Hopkins got to sea.^ The first regular com-
missioned cruisers, therefore, of the National Navy of the United Col-
onies were those of Hopkins's .squadron. The fleet left Philadelphia
early in January, 1776.*
1 Life and Works of .John Adams, vol. x. pp. 28 and 29, where also are his letters to
Elbridge Gerry, pp. 30, 31.
2 "Tuesday, .Jan. 9, 1776. Resolved, That a letter be written to Mr. Tilghnian in-
forming him that the Hornet and Wasp are under orders to sail to the Capes of Dela-
ware, and tliat sucli vessels as are ready to sail may take the benefit of that convoy.
"That the committee for fitting out armed vessels be directed to give orders to the
captains of the Hornet and Wasp, to take under their convoy such vessels as are ready to
sail." — American Archives, 4th series, vol. iv. p. 1637.
3 Cooper's Naval History, edition 1856.
* The Naval Committee were authorized by the Committee of Safety of Pennsylvania,
under date Jan. 1, 1776, to engage three pilots of that province to conduct the vessels
down to Reedy Island, and the Committee of Safety also authorized the loan of a
number of men from the armed bodies of that province to navigate the vessels belonging
FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES. 241
The following letter contains an account of its departure for Eeecly
Island : —
"Newbern, N. C, Feb. 9, 1776.
" By a gentleman from Philadelphia, Ave have received the pleasing ac-
count of the actual sailing from that place of the first American fleet that
ever swelled their sails on the Western Ocean, in defence of the rights and
liberties of the people of these colonies, now suffering under the persecuting
rod of the British ministry, and their more than brutish tyrants in America.
This fleet consists of five sad, fitted out from Philadelphia, Avhich are to be
joined at the Capes of Virginia by two ships more from Maryland, and is
commanded by Admiral Hopkins, a most experienced and venerable sea-
captain. The admiral's ship is called the Columbus, after Christopher
Columbus, thirty-six guns, 12 and 9 pounders, on two decks, forty swivels,
and five hundred men. The second ship is called the Cabot, after Se-
bastian Cabot, who completed the discoveries of America made by Colum-
bus, and mounts thirty-two guns. The others are smaller vessels, from
twenty-four to fourteen guus. They sailed from Philadelphia, amidst the
acclamations of many thousands assembled on the joyful occasion, under the
display of a union flag with thirteen stripes in the field, emblematical of
the thirteen United Colonies ; but unhappily for us, the ice in the river Del-
aware as yet obstructs the passage down, but the time will now soon arrive
when this fleet must come to action. Their destination is a secret, but gen-
erally supposed to be against the Ministerial Governors, those little petty
tyrants that have lately spread fire and sword throughout these southern
colonies. For the happy success of this little fleet, three millions of people
offer their most earnest supplications to Heaven." ^
At Eeedy Island, the squadron was frozen up for six weeks, and
did not leave the Delaware until the 17th of February .^ On the 19th,
to Congress down. The Naval Committee's sailing orders to Hopkins are dated Jan. 5,
1776. — American Archives, 4tli series, vol. iv. pp. 506 and 578.
Washington, in his letter to Read, Jan. 4, 1776, after describing his raising the union
flag at Cambridge, says : " I fear your fleet has been so long fitting out, and the destina-
tion of it is so well known, that the end will be defeated, if the vessel escape."
1 American Archives, 4th series, vol. iv. p. 964. John Adams, in a letter from
" Quincy, Ainil 13, 1819," writes : " I lay no serious claim to the title of ' Father of the
American navj',' or of any thing else except my own family. Have you seen the ' History
of the American Navy,' written by a Mr. Clark and edited by Mat. Carey ? I gave the
names Alfred, Columbus, Cabot, and Andrea Doria to the first ships that sailed under
the flag of the United Colonies." — Watsons Men and Times of tJie Revolution. See
also ante.
Adams alludes to the ' Naval History of the United States,' by Thomas Clark, a second
edition of which, in two volumes, r2nio, was published in Philadelphia, by SI. Carey,
Jan. 3, 1814. The book is scarce, and has long been out of print. The first edition was
published May 6, 1813.
2 Life of Paul Jones ; Hopkins's Orders to the Fleet ; Cooper's Naval History, &c.
16
242 (>i;i<.i\ A\i) I'lJoriKESS ov twe
tlie Hornet and Fly luirted conipiuiy. Tlie Hi-st achievement of tlie
squadron undiT tla' continental llaj,' was a descent ujxm New Trovi-
dence, where near one Inindrcd cannon and a kirge (|uantity of other
stores fell into its hands. After hnistin;^' the striped llajf, and holding
j)ossession of the place for a few days, Coniniodori.' no])kins left <»n the
17th of ^larch, briugiug away the governor and one or two men of iiote.^
On this occasion, the first that ever occurred in the continental
navy, the marines, under Captain Nicholas, behaved with the spirit
and steadiness that has distinguished the corps from that hour down
to the present time.
Scattering his small vessels along the southern coast, the Commo-
dore, with the remainder of his squadron, airived off" ^lontauk Point on
the 4th of April, where he captured a small vessel of six guns, and on
the 6th engaged the Glasgow, 20, Captain T}Tingham Howe, which
managed to get into Newport, and join the English squadron.
On the 17th of April, when near the Capes of Virginia, the Lexing-
ton supported the honor of the continental flag on the seas by captur-
ing, after a close and spirited action, the British brig Edward, mounting
sixteen 4-pounders, two more than the Lexington. The Lexington
had only four men killed, wldle the Edward was cut to pieces, and
suffered severe loss. The Lexington's career was short, but glorious.
The same year, in October, and near the spot where she engaged the
Edward, she was captured by the frigate Pearl. During the night, the
Americans overpowered the prize crew, and took the brig to Baltimore,
where she was recommissioned, and sailed thence, March, 1777, for
Europe. After her arrival, cruising in company with the Dolphin and
Reprisal, she was chased by a ship of the line, but escaped into Mor-
laix, where she was seized and detained by the French government
until September. Immediately after her release she sailed, and the
next day surrendered to the British man-of-war cutter Alert, after an
action of an hour and a lialf and a hard chase of four hours, having
exj)ended all her ammunition. Conquered, not subdued, and unable
to return her opponent's fire. Captain Johnson, her commander, to save
the lives of his crew, was compelled to strike her colors.
When taken, she had been in service about one year and eight
months. She was the first vessel that bore the continental flag to
victory on the ocean, and in her short career had fought two severe
actions under it, was twice taken and once recaptured, was otherwise
engaged with armed vessels, and captured several prizes. This Lex-
ington of the seas, therefore, occupies the position in our naval annals
1 Cooper's Naval Hi.story.
FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES. 243
that the Lexington from whence she derived her name does from
having been the arena of the first conflict of the colonies with England.
A correspondent in England says : " An American privateer was
some time since taken by one of our frigates. She carried the conti-
nental colors, which are thirteen red and white strijDes ; but it was
observed that this privateer had but twelve stripes in his colors.
Being asked the reason, he answered that, since we had taken New
York, the Congress had a province less ; and that whenever they lost any
of the provinces, it was their orders to cut away one of the stripes from
their colors, so that there should be no more stripes than provinces." ^
It has been suggested, as a reason that a flag emblematic of the
union of the colonies was not sooner adopted, the adherence of Georgia
was required to complete their union. On the 6th of July, 1775,
Georgia, in her Provincial Congress, assented to all measures of re-
sistance, and united with the other colonies against the ministerial
measures ; but the flag with thirteen stripes was not hoisted until
January, 1776.
It is not the province of this work to follow the naval events of
the war only as it is connected with the history of the flag under its
several phases, and to show where and when it first made its mark
upon the ocean.
The first American vessel of war to show the continental flag to
the European world was the Eeprisal, Captain Lambert Wickes, a brig
of sixteen guns. She sailed from home soon after the Declaration of
Independence.
A letter from St. Eustatia, dated " July 27, 1776," mentions her
arrival there, after an engagement with the Shark, sloop of war, of equal
force, and that " the colors which the American showed were a field
white and yellow, with thirteen stripes." ^
She arrived at Philadelphia, September 17, with Dr. Franklin on
board as a passenger, and appeared in France in the autumn of 1776,
bringing in several prizes. The prizes were ordered to quit France
without delay, and the Eeprisal and the Lexington were detained
until security was given that they would quit the European seas.
When released, the Reprisal sailed for America, and foundered on the
banks of Newfoundland, when all on board perished, with the ex-
ception of the cook.
Aug. 16, 1776, the Marine Committee directed Captains Jones and
Hallock, of the continental ships Hornet and Providence, to watch for
1 Low's Astrouomical Diaiy, 1777.
2 American Archives, 5tli series, vol. i. p. 610.
244 ni;i(;iN AND I'liUliKLSS ul' TlIK
the arrival uf tlu' sltuip Queen of llun^'ary, liriiiuiiig arms ami ammuni-
tion tinm Martinico, whose Hag was six black bars and six yellow liars.
In a little work published at Leipsic, entitled 'The Historic (Jene-
alo<'ical Calendar or Chronicle of the most Memorable Transactions in
the New World,' for 1784, copies of which are in the IMercantile and
Historical Society Library of New York City, there is a colored rep-
resentation of "the flag and pendant of the thirteen United States
of North America." The flag bears on its field thirteen horizontal
stripes, red, blue, and white, and a canton extending over tlie first six
stripes, charged with thirteen white star.s, arranged three and two.
The narrow pendant corresponding, consists of three stripes, red, lilue,
and white, forked red and white at the end, and has a blue chief
charged with thirteen white stars next the staff, similarly arranged ;
but between this chief and the three horizontal stripes are thirteen
short perpendicular stripes, red, blue, and white.
The first vessel to obtain a salute for the continental flag from a
foreign power was the brig Andrea Doria, Captain Robinson. This
little brig was purchased prior to the resolution of Dec. 22, 1775,
and had done some active cruising under the command of Nicholas
Biddle. She sailed from Philadelphia, September, 1776, and pro-
ceeded at once to St. Eustatia to procure arms. On her arrival at
that port, Nov. 16, 1776, she saluted the Dutch flag, and her salute
was returned by the governor, who was subsequently removed from
office for his indiscretion.^ A letter to the Maryland Council of
Safety, dated St. Eustatia, Nov. 19, 1776, says, " Captain Robertson, of
the continental brig Andrea Doria, arrived here three days ago, and
saluted the fort with eleven guns. The salute was returned by the
fort with 18-pounders, and the captain most graciously received by
his Honor the Governor and all ranks of people." "All American
vessels here now wear the Congress colors." ^
On her return, the Andrea Doria captured the Race Horse, of
twelve guns, a vessel of about her own force, and arrived at Philadel-
phia with her prize. When the evacuation of Fort Mifflin gave com-
mand of the Delaware to the British, both these vessels were burnt, to
prevent their falling into the hands of the enemy.
1 In 1876, a pamphlet was published in Concord, N. H., entitled ' The Stars and
Stiipes: The Flag of the United States of America, —When, where, and by whom
was it first saluted ? ' in which the writer proves the fact of tliis salute, and considers
it a salute to the stai-s and stripes ! Of course he is mistaken, as the stars were not
added to the stripes until June, 1777, and did not come into use for some months
later.
2 American Archives, vol. ii. 5th scries, p. 760.
FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES. 245
In August, 1777, the General Mifflin, commanded l3y Captain Wil-
liam McXeil, and wearing the ' continental colors,' was saluted at Brest,
much to the indignation of the British ambassador. This is the second
salute to the continental striped flag of which we have any account.^
On the 29th of October, 1776, the Continental Congress passed the
following resolve, though it does not appear upon its journals that
to that time, or for several months later, there was any legisla-tion
establishing a national flag : ^ —
''Resolved, That no private ship or vessel of war, merchant ship, or
other vessel, belonging to the subjects of these States, be permitted to
wear pendants when in company with continental ships or vessels of
war, without leave from the commanding officer thereof. That if any
merchant ship or vessel shall wear pendants in company with conti-
nental ships or vessels of war without leave from the commander
thereof, such commander be authorized to take away the pendant
from the offender. That if private ships or vessels of war refuse to
pay the respect due the continental ships or vessels of war, the captain
or commander refusing shall lose his commission."
This law, says Cooper, in his ' Naval History,' who dates it a year
earlier (1775), " was framed in a proper spirit, and manifested an in-
tention to cause the authorized agents of the government on the high
seas to be properly respected. It excites a smile, however, that 'the
whole marine of the country consisted at that time of two small ves-
sels, that were not yet equipped." ^ He might have added, and before
any national flag had l^y legal enactment, so far as the journals of
Congress show, been prescribed. The official origin of the grand
union striped flag at Cambridge, and the striped flags worn by the
fleet of Commodore Hopkins, is involved in obscurity. It is sin-
gular that no mention of their official establishment can be found in
the private diaries of the times, the official or private correspondence
since made public of the prominent actors of the Revolution, the
newspapers of the times, or the journals of the Provincial and Conti-
nental Congresses. We only know, from unimpeached testimony,
1 In 1863, the Confederate (rebel) cruiser Florida received a return salute from the
English authorities at Bermuda, but we do not learn that the governor was removed for
his indiscretion.
2 Journal of Congress, Tuesday, Oct. 29, 1776, vol. i. p. 531 (edition of Way &
Gideon, Washington, 1823).
•• The list of vessels belonging to the United States Navy, October, 1776, the date of
the resolve given by Cooper, was : Thirteen vessels of from 32 to 28 guns building, and
thirteen vessels in service ; viz.. One of 24, one of 20, two of 16, three of 14, one of 12,
two of 10, and three smaller, — 814 guns. At the same time (Oct. 10, 1776), a resolution
passed Congiess defining the relative rank of the twenty-four captains then in the navy.
Cooper's Naval History, 1856 ed., pp. 57, 58.
246
DKICIX ANK I'KnCKI.SS ()V 'IMIK
tliat thei*e was a striped conLinentul Hag, representing tlic majesty
and authority of the thirteen United Colonies.
Flags with dillerent devices and mottoes continued, however, to ]n\
used l)y troojis in the field.
At the l)attle ol" Long Island, Aug. liO, 177<», the Hessian regiment
of Uahl saw a troop of some fifty Americans liastening towards them
Avith living colors. K'ald (•(•mmanded to give lire. Tlic Americans,
wilt) had lost tlieir way, or had been cut off from their countrymen,
surrendered, begged for quarter, and laid down their arms. An under
officer, leaping forward, took away the colors. He was about to present
them to Colonel Kahl, when General Von Merl)ach arrived, and was
about snatching the colors from the under officer's hands, when Ifahl
said, in a tone of vexation, " By no means. General; my grenadiers have
taken those colors, they shall keep them, and I shall not permit any
one to take them away." A short altercation now took place between
them, and they separated in an angry mood, but the colors remained
for the present with Eahl's regiment. The captured colors were of
red damask, with the motto, " Liberty." The Americans took their
stand at the head of the regiment llahl, with arms reversed, carry-
ing their hats under their arms, and fell u]>on
their knees, earnestly entreating that their
lives might be spared.^
I have an engraving of Mhat purports to
be the battle of Wliite Plains, Oct. 28, 1776,
which seems to represent the scene above de-
scribed, the Americans carrying a flag of which
the annexed is a fac-simile.
That a national flag other than the striped
continental was not provided until some time
after the Declaration of Independence, is to
me certain. William Eichards, writing to the
Pennsylvania Committee of Safety, Aug. 19,
1776, says, "I hope you have agreed what
sort of colors I am to have made for the galleys, &c., as they are much
wanted ; " and again, Oct. 15, 1776, " The commodore was with me this
morning, and says the fleet has not any colors to hoist if they should
be called on duty. It is not in my powder to get them until there is a
design fixed on to make the colors by." '^
A letter dated Newport, Oct. 21, 1776, says, on the authority of
1 Hessian account of the battle of Long Island. Memoiis of Long Island Historical
Society, vol. ii. pp. 434, 435.
2 Pennsylvania Archives, vol. v. pp. 17, 46.
American Flag
From an old English engraving
of the Battle of White Plains
Oct. 28, 1776.
FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES. 247
a Captain Vickery, just arrived from the West Indies : " No vessel
is suffered to wear English colors in any French port, but continental
colors are displayed every Sunday, and much admired." ^ A letter
dated "Southampton, England, Nov. 11, 1776," says, "that the brig
Kingston, Captain Eeveness, this day arrived fourteen days from
Oporto, and brought advice of sixteen American privateers at Bilboa
and four at Ferrol, Spain, and that " their colors are a red field with
thirteen stripes where our union is placed, denoting the united rebel-
lious colonies." ^ This would show that the flags were red, with thir-
teen stripes in a union where we now have stars.
Boston, Dec. 5, 1776. Captain Barbeoc, in a vessel belonging to
Newburyport, has arrived at Squam from Bilboa, in thirty-three days.
With him came passenger Mr. George Cabot, of Beverley, merchant,
who informs that the Spanish and French ports are open to our
cruisers, and that they permit American vessels to carry the American
flag in their ports.
In the preceding pages we have established that the earliest flags
planted on the shores of North America, of which there is any record,
were those of England ; that during the colonial and provincial pe-
riods they were continued in the Anglo-Saxon settlements, with the
addition of various devices and mottoes, to the time of the grand
union flag raising at Cambridge, Massachusetts, Jan. 2, 1776, when
the long-established and well-known red ensign of England, bearing
in its union the crosses of St. George and St. AndreM^, was striped
in its field with thirteen alternate red and white stripes, emblematic
of the union of the thirteen colonies against the oppressive acts of
the ministerial government of the Kingdom of Great Britain, whose
symbol they nevertheless retained. We now have arrived at the
period when this last symbol of loyalty was abandoned, and the
striped union flag of the colonies received added beauty and new
significance by the erasure of the blended crosses of St. George and
St. Andrew, and showing in their place a canopy of white stars on a
blue field, representing a new constellation in the western political
heavens, an entire separation of the colonies from Great Britain, and
the advent among nations of a new power, which, by its Declaration
a few months previous, had solemnly proclaimed a free and indepen-
dent State, under the name of The United States of America.
1 American Archives, 5th series, vol. i. p. 173.
2 American Archives, 5th series, vol. iii. j). 637.
THE STARS and STRIPES. 1777-1878.
PROPOSED STANDARD
1818
t-r----==="''!*"i|lliiliiillli^^
tH* ;??-- i. ^■lii.iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii
^fc^^Miiiiiiiiiiiiiimiiiiiiiiiiiimiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii
liiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiw^
liiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiilliiiiiiiiiiii
liiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiwiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii
1818
1847
30 srAnS /J STHIPLS
1878
J» iTAHS 13 STRIPES
PAET III.
THE STARS AND STRIPES.
A.D. 1775-1818.
THEOEIES AS TO THE ORIGIN OF THE STARS AND STRIPES
AS THE DEVICES OF OUR NATIONAL BANNER.
1774-1777.
THE THIRTEEN STARS AND THIRTEEN STRIPES DURING
THE REVOLUTION.
1777-1783.
THE FLAG OF THIRTEEN STARS AND THIRTEEN STRIPES.
1783-1795.
THE FLAG OF FIFTEEN STARS AND FIFTEEN STRIPES.
1795-1818.
"Tlnm hast ffivon a ))!UUK'r to tlu'iii that fear tluf, that it may l>i- ilisplaycil because
of the tmth." — PsaliiLs l.\. 4. .
"As at the early dawn the stars sliiiic forth even wliiU- it gmws lij^lit, ami then, us
the sun atlvumes, that light hreaks into banks ami streaming lines of color, the glowing
nnl ami intense white striving together and ribbing the horizon with bars effulgent. So
on the American flag, st4irs and beams of many-colored light shine out together. And
where this Hag comes, and men Ix-hold it, they see in its .sarred embla/.onry no ram|iing
lions and no fierce eagle, no embattled castles or insigiria of imi)eriul authority : they
see the symbols of light. It is the banner of dawn. It means Lilirrly ; and the galley
slave, the poor oppressed conscript, the down-trodden creature of foreign desiMitism, sees
in the American Hag that very promise and prediction of God : ' The people which sat
in darkness saw a great light ; and to them which .sat in the region and sliadow of death
light is sprung up.'
"In 1777, witliin a few days of one year after tlic Dcidaration of Independence, the
Congi'css of the Colonies in the Confederated States assembled and ordained this glorious
national flag which we now hold and defend, and advanced it lull higli before God and
all men as the flag of liberty.
" It was no lioliday flag gorgeously emblazoned for gayety or vanity. It was a solemn
national signal. "When that banner first unrolled to the sun, it was the symbol of all
those holy trutlis and puri)0ses which brought together the Colonial American Congress !
. . . Our flag carries American ideas, American history, and American feelings. Begin-
ning witli the Colonies, and coming down to our time, in its sacred heraldry, in its glo-
rious insignia, it has gathered and stored chiefly this supreme idea : Divine right of
liberty in man. Every color means liberty ; every thread means liberty ; every fonn of
star and beam or stripe of light means liberty : not law-lessness, not license ; but organ-
ized institutional liberty, — liberty through law, and laws for liberty !
" It is not a painted rag. It is a whole national liistory. It is the Constitution. It
is the government. It is the free people that stand in the government on the Constitu-
tion."— Henry Ward BeecJier's Address to two Comjianies of the Brooklyn Fourteenth
Regiment, 1861. '
" Across the wide-spread continent our father's flag we bear ;
Each hill and dale, from shore to shore, the sacred sign shall wear,
And unseen hands shall strengthen ours, to hold it high in air,
As we go marching on." — General Dte.
" I once entered a house in old Massachusetts, where over its doors were two crossed
swords. One was the sword carried by the grandfatlier of its owner on the field of
Bunker Hill, and the other was the sword carried by the English grandsire of the wife,
on the .same field, and on the other side of the conflict. Under those crossed swords, in
the restored harmony of domestic peace, lived a happy and contented and free family,
under light of our republican liberties. (Applause. ) I trust the time is not far distant
when under the cro.ssed swords and the locked shields of Americans, North and South,
our people shall sleep in peace and rise in libert}% love, and harmony, under the union of
our flag of the stars and stripes." — General Garfield, at the dedication of a soldiers'
monument at PainrsviUe, Ohio, July 3, 1880.
" When the rebellion was crushed, the heresy of secession, in every form and in
e\ery incident, went down forever. It is a thing of the dead past : we move forward,
not backward." — Letter of Gen. W. S. Hancock to Tlieodorc Cook, Sept. 23, 1880.
PART III.
THE STARS AND STRIPES.
THEOEIES AS TO THE OEIGIX OF THE STAES AND STEIPES.
1774-1777.
" Flag of the free heart's hope and home !
By angel hands to valor given ;
Thy stars have lit the welkin dome,
And all thy hues were born in heaven.
For ever float that standard sheet !
Where breathes the foe but falls before us,
With Freedom's soil beneath our feet
And Freedom's banner streaming o'er us ? " — Drake.
The earliest suggestion of stars as a device for an American ensign
prior to their adoption in 1777 is found in the 'Massachusetts Spy'
for March 10, 1774, in a song written for the anniversary of the
Boston Massacre (March 5). In a flight of poetic fancy, the writer
foretells the triumph of the American ensign : —
"A ray of bright glory now beams from afar,
The American ensign now sparkles a star
Which shall shortly flame wide through the skies."
The earliest known instance of the thirteen stripes being used
upon an American banner is found upon a standard presented to the
Philadelphia troop of Light Horse in 1775, by Captain Abraham
Markoe, which is now in the possession of that troop, and displayed
at its anniversary dinners.^ As General Washington, when en route
to take command of the army at Cambridge, accomjianied by Generals
Lee and Schuyler, was escorted by this troop of Light Horse from
1 I had a dim recollection of having seen a lithograpli of this standard, many years
before, but I am indebted to my indefatigable friend, John A. McAllister, Esq., of Phil-
adelphia, in a letter dated Oct. 26, 1871, for my knowledge of this flag, which had escaped
the notice of the previous historians of our flag.
252
()i;i(;lN .\M> I'KixniKSS OF TIIK
rhiladeli.hia, June 21, 1775, to New York.^ he was douV.tless familinr
with the si-ht of this standard, and it is possil^e that it may liave
suggested to him the strii)ed
union flag he raised at ("am-
liiidge six months later.
The first Continental Congress
assembled at riiiladelphia, Sep-
tember, 1774 ; and on the 17th (tf
November twenty-eight gentle-
men of the highest respectability
and fortunes voluntarily associ-
ated, constituted themselves the
I'hiladelphia troop of Light
Horse, and elected Abraham
Markoe captain. The members
staiuUiid of the Philadelphia Light Horse, 1775. equipped tlicmselves at their own
expense The uniform adopted by them was a dark brown short-
coat, faced and lined with white; high-topped boots; a round black
hat bound with silver cord and a buck's tail. Their housmgs were
brown edged with white, with the letters ' L. H.' worked on them.
Their arms were a carbine, a pair of pistols in holsters, and a horse-
man's sword, with white belts for the sword and carbine. Such was
the appearance of the troop when it escorted General Washington to
New York, and afterward fought under this standard at Trenton and
Princeton.
1 Sparks's Life of AVashington, p. 143, also Bancroft'.s History of the United States.
"On the 23(1 of June, the day after Congi-ess had heard the first rumors of the battle at
Charlestown, Washington was escorted out of Philadelphia by the Massachusetts dele-
gates and many others, with music, officers of militia, and a cavalcade of light horse in
uniform. On Sunday, the 25th, aU New York was in motion. Washington, accompanied
by Lee and Schuyler, under escort of the Philadelphia Light Hoi-se, was known to have
reached Newark. On the news that he was to cross the Hudson, bells were rung, the
militia paraded in their gayest trim, and at four o'clock in the afternoon the commander-
in-chief, dressed in a uniform of blue, was received at Lispenard's by the mass of m-
ha])itan'ts. Drawia in an open carriage by a pair of white horses, he was escorted into
the city by nine companies of infantiy, while multitudes of all ages bent their eyes on
him from house-tops, the windows, and the streets. That night the royal governois
Tryon, landed mthout any such popular T^^v^de." - Bancroft's History of tlu United
"^Nov. 21, 1775, Lady Washington was escorted from Schuylkill Ferry into the city
by the Light Horse," kc. .
"Nov. 27, 1775, Ladv Wa.shington, attended by a troop of horse, two companies ot
Hght infantrv! &c.. left Philadelphia on her jouniey to the camp at Cambridge." — Pr,.9-
sagcs from tU Diary of Christoplur Marslmll, vol. i.. 1774-77, edited by William Duane,
pub. Phila., 1839.
I
FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES. 253
Captain Markoe resigned his commission late in 1775, an edict of
Christian VIII., king of Denmarl^, forbidding his subjects to engage
in the war against Great Britain, under penalty of confiscation of
their property.^ He presented this standard to the troop before his
resignation, and it was their first standard ; this fixes the date of its man-
ufacture in 1775, and prior to the union flag raising at Cambridge. For
this reason this flag is considered a relic of priceless value by the troop.
The following minute description of this interesting Kevolutionary
relic is furnished by Mr. Charles J. Lukens, of Philadelphia : ^ —
" The flag of the Light Horse of Philadelphia is forty inclies long
and thirty-four inches broad. Its canton is twelve and one-half
inches long, and nine and one-half inches wide. The armorial
achievement in its centre occupies the proportional space shown in
the drawing ; both sides of the flag exhibit the same attributes. The
left side shows every thing as if the material were transparent, giving
the right side entirely in reverse, except the ciphers ' L. H.,' and the
motto, " For these we strive." The ciphers, the running vine on both
sides, the cord and tassels, and the fringe, are of silver bullion twist.
The spear-head and the upper ferrule, taken together eight inches in
length, are of solid silver. The staff is of dark wood, in three care-
fully ferruled divisions screwing together. Ten screw rings at irregu-
lar intervals, from two and one-half to three and three-fourths inches,
are used to attach the flag to the staff by means of a cord laced through
corresponding eyelets in the flag.
" The flag is formed of two sides very strongly hemmed together
along the edges, each side being of two equal pieces attached to-
gether by means of a horizontal seam,
the material of the flag being a light,
bright yellow silk, and apparently the
same tint as that of the present artil-
lery flag of the United States. The
canton of the flag is ' Barry of thirteen
azure and argent' The azure being
deep ultramarine, the argent silver leaf.
The achievement in the centre of the
flag is : Azure, a round knot of three
interlacings, with thirteen divergent,
wavy, bellied, double foliated ends or, whereof two ends are in chief,
1 By-Laws, Muster Roll, and Papers of the First Troop of the Philadelphia City Cavalry,
Philadelphia, 1856 ; History of the First Troop, 1876. The edict was dated Oct. 4, 1775.
2 Letters of C. J. Lukens, Kov. 6, 1871, March 21, 1872, &c. Mr. Lukens says the
254 ()Kit;iN AND riKniUK.ss OF lui:
and one iu base as pur inai-iu. The scvollea edging ..f the shield is
gold, with outer and inner rims of silver.
" CirM [without a wreath] a horse's head /'"//, ^vith a white star on
the forehead, erased at the shoulders, nianed sable, bitted and rosetted
or, and bridled ((zirrc. Over the head of the charger is the monogram
'L. H.,' for Light Horse, though it has been suggested these letters are
the monogram of Levi Hollingswortli, who was (quartermaster of the
troop at the battle of Trenton.
"Ikmeath the shield, the motto, 'For these ire drive ;^ in black
Eomau capitals of the Elizabethan style, on a floating silver scroll,
upon the upcurled ends of which stand the supporters, Dexter, a
continental masquerading as an American Indian (probably of the
Boston tea-party, Dec. 16, 1773), with a bow or, the loosened string
blue floating on the wind, in his left hand, and in his right a gold
rod upholding a liberty cap,^ with tassel azure, the lining silcer, head-
first troop have always prized their standard very highly, but never suspected its vuluo
iu the histoiy of the stare and stripes. Since the publication of the fust edition of tliLs
work the flag has been placed between two plates of glass, and deposited in an iron tire-
proof safe, built expressly for its reception in the troop's new amiory.
1 Evidently referring to fame and liberty, represented by the supportera.
■' Many pei-sons entertain a belief that the liberty cap was first used in modern times
as an emblem of freedom by the French in 1790. That this was not the case is proved
by its being one of the devices on the flag of the PhUatlelphia
Light Horse, and by the following resolve : —
" Phihidclphia, August Z\st, 1775. At a meeting of the Com-
mittee of Safety, held this day, Resolved, That Owen Biddle pro-
vide a seal for the use of the board, about the size of a dollar, with
a ccq) of liberty, with this motto, ' This is my right, and I will dc-
fold it.' "
Tlie rhrygian Cap. T}ie liberty cap is of Phrygian origin, and belongs to classical
times. It was gi-anted to freedmen as a token of manumission from bondage. The
Sa.vons of England used it as their ordinary head-dress, but without the meaning we
attach to it. It was on American coins in 1783. The Bryges, a warlike people from
the southwest shores of the Euxine, conquered the east of Asia Minor, which they called
'Brifia,' — afterwards changed to Phrycjia. This people distinguished themselves from
the primitive inhabitants by wearing their national cap as a sign of their independence,
and it was stamped on their coins. The Eomans adopted it, and, when a slave was
manumitted, ])laced a small red cap called ' a pileus ' on his head, proclaimed him a
ft-eedman, and registered his name as such. WHien Saturnius took the capital in 263,
he hoisted a cap on a spear to indicate that all slaves who joined him .should be free.
When Caesar was murdered, the conspirators raised a Phiygian cap on a spear as a token
of liberty. The Goddess of Liberty on the Aventine Mount held in her hand a cap, the
symbol of freedom. In France, t"he Jacobins wore a red cap. In England, the symbol of
liberty is a blue cap with a white border ; and Britannia is represented holding such a
cap on the end of a spear. The American cap of liberty has been adopted from the
British, and is blue with a white border or bottom on which are thirteen stars. There is
no positive regulation in regard to it beyond its shape and color, so far as America is
concerned.
FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES. 255
dress and kilt (or ga-ka-ah) of feathers, the former of five alternately
of dark red and gold, with fillet of crimson. The latter of seven al-
ternately of gold and of dark red. This may be of eight, and then
it would be 5 + 8 = 13, alternately of dark red and of gold, as the
gold at least occupies the extreme natural right of the kilt. The un-
certainty arises from age, and the fact that the dependent ends of a
crimson shoulder sash or scarf worn from left to right with knot at
the waist bound the left edge of the kilt, which itself is supported by
a narrow girdle, with pendent loops of gold, and the looped spaces
red. The quiver is of gold, supported over the right shoulder by a
Hue strap; its arrows are proper. A continental officer's crescent,
gold, suspended around the neck by a hhie string, rests just wliere the
clavicles meet the sternum. The mocassins are Imff with feather tops,
I think alternated dark red and gold. The Indian has deep black
hair, but his skin is intermediate between the Caucasian and the abo-
riginal hues, rather inclining to the former, and his cheek is decidedly
ruddy, almost rosy. He approaches the shield in profile, as does also
the sinister supporter, which represents an angel of florid tint, roseate
clieek, with auburn curly hair, and blue eyes, blowing a golden trumpet,
with his right hand, and holding in his left a gold rod: His wings are
a light Uuish gray with changeable flashes of silver. His flowing robe
from the right shoulder to the left flank is purple. These supporters not
being heraldic in position and motion for human or angelic figures, their
left and right action have the natural and not heraldic significations.
" This flag is in admirable condition, considering that more than one
hundred years have elapsed since it was made. The whole is a model
of good taste and judgment, and evidences that Captain Markoe spared
no expense."
The presentation is not found chronicled in the Philadelphia papers
of the time.i
A lithogi-aph of this flag, presenting a fair idea of its appearance,
was published in William Huddy's ' Military Magazine,' Philadelphia,
1839. The picture is accompanied by some spirited lines by Andrew
McMakin, which are dedicated to it.^ A fine colored representation
1 The ' GermantoATO Telegraph,' some twenty years ago, stated that the old flag of the
first troop of Philadelphia county cavalry was in existence, and said : " It was painted in
1774, at the organization of the corps, and is believed to be the only relic now e.xtant of
the first flag adopted by the colonies." A correspondent of the 'Philadelphia Sunday
Dispatch' says : "The newspapers of 1774 contain nothing about the presentation of
this flag, nor about the formation of the troop of Light Horse, and I have searched the
newspapers of 1774 and '75, without finding any mention of the presentation."
2 These lines were given in full in tlie first edition of this book.
256 OKICIN AM' PKOLiKK.SS OT lllE
of the flag is given in llic ' L'untruiiial History nf the Troop; pul.lislied
in 1875.
Ou the semi-centennial anniversary of the troop, Nov. 17, 1824,
this hanner was displayed; and David Paul Brown, when called upon
fur a toast, gave inii»ronii)tu : —
"Oi'R IJanxku!
For tifty yfurs, at fray or feast,
O'erdi'adly foe or gentle guest,
Triiiiiii>liautly inifiirled !
And FIFTY more our Hag shall wave
In memory of the Good aud Brave
Who dignified the world,
Aud tyranny and time defy
In freedom's immortality."
Mr. Lukens considered this flag to bear intrinsic evidence of hav-
ing existed before the invention of the star-spangled banner, " because
it has no stars save a white star in the forehead of the horse-head
used as a crest ; it also symbolizes the thirteen colonies by a golden
knot of thirteen divergent wavy, floating, foliated ends upon a blue
sliield ; and although this in itself is a very beautiful type of the
United Colonies, it never would have been selected for the purpose
by anybody after the invention of the thirteen stars on blue, equiva-
lent to thirteen stars in the heavens ; as the latter, being a higher and
more significant symbol, would instantly have swayed every heart in
its favor." ^
Fortunately, solving all doubts as to the early date of this standard,
William Camac, a great-grandson of Captain IVIarkoe, and at one time
a lieutenant of the City Troop, discovered among his ancestor's papers,
in November, 1874, the original bills for designing and painting it,
and has presented them to the troop. A fac-simile of them will be
found on the following page.
The first bill, it will be observed, is for a pair of colors, that is, both
sides of the standard, which were made separately and sewed together ;
and includes a charge for a ' union,' that is, the stripes, showing that
it was not an after addition, as has been suggested.
Nothing on these bills fixes the precise date of ordering the flag.
The bill for designing is dated a week later than the bill for painting,
and it is reasonable to suppose the standard was completed some time
before tliese bills were presented. Georgia, the thirteenth State to
1 Mr. Lnkens's lecture on 'The Heraldry of the American Flag,' as reported in the
' Philadelphia Sunday Dispatch.'
FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES. 257
join the confederacy, assented in her provincial congress to all the
measures of resistance, and united with the other colonies on the
-^^^O^^.z^ <^^.^^
^^#^/77.^~"
>s: ^,
/m^m^z^E^^ /^^^^ ^^^.^.....c-
'^
6th of July, 1775, three months earlier, though her delegates did not
take their seats in Congress until September ; and the thirteen blue
and white stripes on the union of this flag may have symbolized those
events, or anticipated them. And it may be that it was borne by the
troop when it accompanied Washington, June 21, 1775, from Phila-
delphia to New York, when, being a new flag and device, it would
naturally have attracted his attention. Colonel Joseph Eeed, his
military secretary, was at that time a resident of Philadelphia, and
had doubtless opportunities of seeing the flag carried by the troop,
and he may have suggested the stripes to Washington. This con-
clusion is strengthened by the fact that he was secretary of the
Committee of Conference sent by Congress to arrange with General
Washington the details of the organization of the army, which went
into being Jan. 2, 1776, and Colonel Pieed, while the conmiittee was
1 James Claypoole was a painter in Pliiladelphia as early as 1749. He died in Phila-
delphia in 1784. Nothing is known of John Folwell. — Zf/siJory of the First Troop,
Philadelphia City Cavalry, 1774-1874.
17
258 (iKK.IN A\l> i'KOUKL.SS UF I'llK
ill session, had the suhjecl ul' a Hajj; under consideration. This stand-
ard was larried by tlie troop on all important jjarades until about
1S:U), when its condition, owing to age and the risk of its exposure,
prevented its use in service. It was, however, often displayed at the
anniversary dinners.
,\.s from its increasing age the standard required careful preserva-
tion, and would not permit of its being handled, in 1872, immediately
after the publication of the first edition of this book, in which atten-
tion was called to its exceeding value, the City Troop had a haJidsonie
frame and case made for its safe-keeping. The frame is of black wal-
nut, in the form of a screen, in which is set the case made of two
plates of plate-glass, between which the flag is placed. On either
side, and below the case, in one face of the frame, are attached the
tliree sections of the staff. In the ornamental head of the same is a
small semicircular opening, faced on either side w^ith glass, which con-
tains the spear-head and tassels. In the construction of the troop's
new armory, in 1874, a fire-proof safe was built for the special pur-
pose of containing this frame, in which is kept the original bills, since
discovered. On the 17th of November, 1874, at the centennial anni-
versary of the troop, the standard was displayed to the assembled
guests in its new and safe quarters. A fine, large, colored illustration
of it was published in the Centennial History of the troop, in 1875.^
The ' Pennsylvania Magazine,' vol. i., 1775, has for frontispiece two
flags crossed, one of which, it has been asserted, is blazoned with the
thirteen stripes, but has no stars. An examination of the engraving,
however, shows that both flags are plain, and that the stripes are only
a shaded representation of the folds of the flag. The same magazine
has " a correct view of the battle at Charlestown, June 17, 1775," in
which the British flag is plainly to be seen, but no other flag is
visible.
1 History of the First Troop, City Cavalry, 1774. Nov. 17, 1874. 1 vol. 4to, pp.
150.
FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES. 259
THE THIETEEX STAES AND THIETEEN STEIPES DUEING
THE EEVOLUTION.
1777-1783.
" Red, white, aud blue, wave on ;
Never may sire or son
Thy glory mar ;
Sacred to liberty,
Honored on land and sea,
Unsoiled for ever be
Each stripe and star."
W. P. Tilckn.
On Saturday, the 14th of June, 1777, the American Congress
" Resolved, That the flag of the thirteen United States be thirteen
stripes alternate red and wliite; that the union be thirteen stars,
white in a blue field, representing a new constellation." ^ Thus, full
fledged, and without any debate or previous legislation, our flag
was flung as a new constellation among the nations. A careful
examination of the Eough and Smooth MS. Journals of Congress
in the Library of Congress, and of the files of the original drafts of
motions made in the Continental Congress in the Department of
State, instituted at my request by the Librarian of Congress, shows
that this is the first legislative action of which there is any record
for the establishment of a national flag for the sovereign United
States of America, declared independent July 4, 1776,^ nearly a
year previous, and proclaims the official birth of a new constellation
as the symbol of their union. In the ' Eough Journal ' the resolve
reads : " 1777, Saturday, June 14. . . . Besolved, That the flag of
the United States of ['of changed to 'by'] 13 stripes, alternate red
1 MS. Journal of Congress, copied by Charles Thomson, No. 2, vol. vi. p. 1537, also
in 1823 ed., vol. i. p. 165 ; Arnold's History of Rhode Island ; Hamilton's History of
the TJ. S. Flag ; Sarmiento's History of our Flag ; Boston Gazette, Sept. 15, 1777, &c.
2 Professor S. F. B. Morse, President of the American Academy of Design, said that,
entering the studio of Benjamin West, long after the death of his patron and friend, •
George III., he found him copying a portrait of that king. As he sat at his work and
talked, accordnig to his custom, he said : "This picture is remarkable for one circum-
stance. The king was sitting to me when a messenger brought him ' the Declaration of
Independence.' " " How did he receive the news ? " I asked. " He was agitated at
first," replied West, " then sat silent and thoughtful ; at length he said, ' Well, if they
cannot be happy under my government, I hope they may not change it for a worse. I
wish them no ill.' " — Dunlop's History of the. Arts of Design in America.
L>GO oKKiiN A.M> 1'i;i»i;ki;ss of riii;
ami white ; that tlio uni(»n Itc IM stars, \vhitc in a blue field, repre-
si'iitiiijj; a new constellation." ^ This resolve was printed in the papers
ill August, but was not olficially jinmiulgated over the signature of
tiu- Secretary of Congi-ess at riiiladelpliia until September 3, and at
other places still later. An oHicer ol' the American army records in
his diary, untler the date Aug. 3, 1777 : "It appears by the papers
that Congress resolved, on the 14th of June last, that tlie Hag of tlie
thirteen United States be thirteen stripes, alternate red and white ; that
the union be thirteen stars, white on a blue field," &c.^ This tardy
resolve of Congi-ess, it will be observed, was not passed until eighteen
months after the union flag raising at Cambridge, and the sailing
of the first American fleet from Philadelphia, under continental
colors, — nearly a year after the declaration of the entire separation
of the colonies from Great Britain, and another two and a half
months were allowed to elapse before it was promulgated officially.
Tliere was red tape in those early days as well as now. No record
of the discussions which must have preceded the adoption of the stars
and stripes has been preserved, and we do not know to whom we are
indebted for their beautiful and soul-inspiring devices. It does not
appear from the record whether it was the device of a committee or of
an individual, or who presented the resolve. It seems probable, how-
ever, it emanated from the Marine Committee, if not/rom a special one,
and such is the tradition. There are many theories ^s to its origin,
but, though less than a century has elapsed, none are satisfactory.
The stripes, as already stated, some have supposed to have been
borrowed from the Dutch or from the designating stripes on the coats
of the continental soldiers. Both stars and stripes, others have con-
sidered, were suggested by the arms of Washington, which, by a sin-
gular coincidence, contain both. The arms of William, Lord Douglas,
however, also bear on a shield argent a chief azure, a heart imperially
crowned proper, and three mullets (five-pointed stars) ardent. The
stars and shield, it will be observed, of the Douglas arms, are the color
of our union, while those on the Washington arms are not.
" The Hodye harte in the Dowglas annes
Hys standere stood oa hye
That every man myght fule well knowe;
By side stode starres three." ®
1 Rough MS. Journal, Xo. 1, vol. ix. p. 243.
2 Military Journal during the American Eevolutionarj' War, from 1775 to 1783, by
James Thatcher, M.D., late Surgeon in the Anicnia.
3 Battle of Otterbume (written cir. Henry VI.).
FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES. 261
Had any banner been blazoned with the coat armor of Washington,
it is reasonable to suppose he would have chosen its devices for the
banner of his own Life Guard ; but that had no such device.^
A British antiquarian ^ supports the idea that Washington's arms
furnished the device for " our flag."
"Like Oliver Cromwell, the American patriot was fond of gene-
alogy, and corresponded with our heralds on the subject of his own
pedigree.^ Yes ! that George Washington, who gave sanction if not
birth to that most democratical of all sentiments, ' that all men are
free and equal,' * was, as the phrase goes, a gentleman of blood, of
ancient time, and coat-armor, nor was he slow to acknowledge the
fact.^ When the Americans, in their most righteous revolt against
the tyranny of the mother country, cast about for an ensign with
which to distinguish themselves from their English oppressors, what
did they ultimately adopt ? Why ! nothing more nor less than a
gentleman's badge, a modification of the old English coat of arms
borne by their leader and deliverer. A few stars had, in the old
chivabous times, distinguished his ancestors from their compeers in
the tournament and upon the battle-field ; more stars and additional
stripes, denoting the number of States that joined in the struggle,
now became the standard around which the patriots of the West
so successfully rallied. It is not a little curious that the poor
worn-out ray of feudalism, as so many would count it, should have
expanded into the bright and ample banner that now waves from
every sea."
The assumption of this writer finds denial in this, — that Washing-
ton, in his correspondence or writings, has not mentioned any con-
nection of his arms with our flag, as he would have been likely to
have done had there been any, for he would certainly have been proud
1 See illustration, p. 10. 2 Lowes. 3 j^Tq^ mjtil 1792.
* He gives to Washington credit due to Jefferson, who wrote the Declaration of Inde-
pendence, in which all men are declared to be created equal ; or rather to Hon. George
Mason, of Virginia, who wrote, May, 1776, "that all men are created equally free and
independent," the commencing words of the Declaration of Rights, on a copy of which he
indorsed, "The first declaration of the kind in America." The document can be found
in Niles's 'American Revolution.'
^ Washington to Sir Isaac Heard, " Philadelphia, May 2, 1792," in answer to his
queries about the genealogy, &c., of the Washington family, says : "This is a subject to
which I confess I have paid very little attention." "The arms enclosed in your letter
are the same that are held by the family here."
Mrs. Lewis, of Woodlawn, Va., has the little robe in which Washington was baptized.
It is made oi white silk lined with red (crimson) silk, and trimmed with blue ribbon, our
national colors, red, white, blue. — Lossing's Hist. Record, March, 1872.
2G2 oiiK.iN AM) i'i:<>(;ki:ss nr iiih
(if tlu' connect ion ; ami tlu'iv is no allusion lo i]\v siilijt'cl in the ]iu1>-
lislit'd ctdTi'siioiuk'nct' oi' his conteni]»ur;irics.
Mr. Haven lUvors the supposition that the devices of our ilag were
tiiken from the arms of the AVashington family, and were used out of
respect to the commander-in-chief. He thought, also, the stars on the
Washington shield might be of Koman origin. " Virgil speaks of re-
turning to the stars, rcdirc ad ustra, implying a home of jtcacc ami hap-
piness ; and the liomaus worshipped the stars, which bore the name of
their gods. They also used scourges, producing stripes on the bodies
of those they punished." From these symbolic antecedents we m.ay,
he says, " derive our star-bearing banner, the heaven-sent ensign of
our union, freedom, and independence, the stripes only to be used as
a scourge to our enemies." ^
A correspondent of the ' New York Inquirer ' beautifully said :
" Every nation has its symbolic ensign, — some have beasts, some
birds, some fishes, some reptiles, in their banners. Our fathers chose
the stars and stripes, — the red telling of the blood shed by them for
their country ; the blue, of the heavens and their protection ; and the
stars, of the separate States embodied in one nationality, ' E Fhurihus
Uiiitm.' "
Alfred B. Street, alluding to our flag as first unfurled at the sur-
render of Burgoyne, says : —
" The stars of the new flag represent a constellation of States rising
in the West. The idea was taken from the constellation Lyra, which
in the hands of Orpheus signified harmony. The blue of the field
was taken from the edges of the Covenanters' banner in Scotland,^
significant also of the league and covenant of tlie United Colonies
against oppression, and involving the virtues of vigilance, persever-
ance, and justice. The stars were disposed in a circle, symbolizing
the perpetuity of the union ; the ring, like the circling serpent of the
Egyptians, signifying eternity. The thirteen stripes showed with the
stars the number of the United Colonies, and denoted the subordina-
tion of the States to the Union, as well as equality among themselves.
The whole was a blending of the various flags, previous to the union
flag, — ^ the red flag of the army and the white one of the floating bat-
teries. The red color, which in Roman days was the signal of defi-
ance;' denotes daring, and the white purity."
1 Paper read before the New Jersey Historical Society, January, 1872.
2 See p. 139 for description of the Covenantei-s' banner.
^ Admii-al Fan-agiit used the old Roman signal when he designated two red lights as
a signal for battle previous to passing the forts below New Orleans. In ancient military
I
FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES. 263
" What eloquence do the stars breathe when their full significance
is known ! a new constellation, union, perpetuity, a covenant against
oppression, justice, equality, subordination, courage, and purity."
I have been unable to find that his poetic and fanciful description
is supported by contemporaneous proof, or that it was ever required
the stars should be arranged in a circle, though in Trumbuirs paint-
ing of the ' Surrender of Burgoyne,' and Peale's portrait of Washing-
ton, the stars are so arranged by those artists. The resolution of June
14, 1777, does not direct as to their arrangement in the union. It does
say, however, that they represent, not ' Lyra,' or any known heavenly
cluster of stars, but ' a new constellation.' The idea that the new
constellation was a representation of Lyra is advocated in Schuyler
Hamilton's ' History of the Flag ; ' but I cannot deem the evidence
conclusive. The constellation of Lyra is a symbol of harmony and
unity, and consists of the required number of stars ; but to represent
it in the union of a flag would be difficult and objectionable. John
Adams is said to have pro^^osed Lyra as the emblem of union ; and
when John Quincy Adams was Secretary of State, in 1820, he gave
color to the idea by removing the United States arms from the United
States passports, and substituting in place of them a circle of thirteen
stars, surrounding an eagle holding in his beak the constellation Lyra,
and the motto, " Nunc siclera ducity
Our Eevolutionary fathers, wlien originating a national flag, un-
doubtedly met witli difficulty in finding a device at once simple,
tasteful, inspiriting, and easily manufactured. The number of States
whose unity was to be symbolized was a stumbling-block. The
stripes represented them ; but what could be found to replace the
crosses emblematic of the union of the kingdoms of Scotland and
England, whose authority they had renounced ? The rattlesnake,
which had been used for a time as a symbol of the necessity of union
and defiance, ratlier than of union itself, was repulsive to many, from
being akin to the tempter of our first parents, and the cause of their
exj^ulsion from Paradise, bearing also the curse of the Almighty.
One of the best of the devices suggested for a union was a circle of
history, a gilded sliield hung out of the admiral's galley was a signal for battle. Some-
times it was a red garment or banner. During the elevation of this signal, the fight con-
tinued, and by its depression or inclination to the right or left, the ships were directed
how to attack their enemies or to retreat from them. In matters of military parade,
probably derived from this ancient custom, it is usual to fix a red flag, called a ' signal-
staff,' somewhat larger than a camp color, to point out the spot where the general or ofi3-
cer commanding takes his station. — London Encyclopedia, vol. x.x.
A red flag is the danger-signal on all modern railroads.
2(j4 OKICIN AND I'KtM.KKSS OF I 111;
tliirtrt'ii iii;iil('(l Imiids, issuiug IVoin a doutl, and j,Ta.sping as many-
links of an endless chain. An instance of
ihis device exists in llic \\i\<^ or culnr «.)f a
Xewltuiyport conipjtny, wliicli was on exlii-
liition in the National ^lusenm in I'liila-
deljiliia, in 1S7(». It had the addition of a
pine-tiee in the centre ol' the siirn)unding
liid<s. .
A niaileil hand grasjiing a hnndle of
thirteen arrows had been a device for pri-
vateers ; but that was a symbol of war and
defiance rather than of union. A round knot with thirteen floating
ends w'as the beautiful device, signifying strength in union, of the
standard of the Philadelphia Light Horse. A checkered union of blue
and white or blue and red squares might have answered, but the odd
number of the colonies prevented that or any similar device. Thir-
teen terrestrial objects, such as eagles, bears, trees, would have been
absurd, and equally so would have been thirteen suns or moons ; l)e-
sides, the crescent was the chosen emblem of Mohammedanism, and
therefore unfitted to represent a Christian people. Thirteen crosses
would have shocked the sentiments of a portion of the people, who
looked upon the cross as an emblem of popish idolatry. There re-
mained then only the stars, and the creation of a new constellation to
represent the birth of the rising republic.^ No other object, heavenly
or terrestrial, could have been more appropriate. They were of like
1 An English writer, a few years later, tluis ridicules the fondness of the American
colonists for the number thirteen : —
" Thirteen is a number peculiarly belonging to the rebels. A party of naval i)ris-
onei-s lately returned from Jersey say that the rations among the rebels are tliirteen drieil
clams per day ; that the titular Lord Stirling takes tliirteen glasses of grog every morn-
ing, has thirteen enormous rum bunches on his uo.se, and that (when dulv impregnated)
lie alwaj's makes thirteen attempts before he can walk ; that Mr. \Vasliington has tliir-
teen toes to his feet (the extra ones having grown since the Declaration of Independence),
and the same number of teeth in each jaw ; that the Sachem Schuyler has a topknot of
thirteen stiff hairs, which erect themselves on the crown of his head when he grows mad ;
that old Putnam had tliirteen pounds of his posterior bit off in an encounter with a Con-
necticut bear ('twas then he lost the balance of his mind); that it takes thirteen Congi-ess
paper dollars to equal one penny sterling ; that Polly Wayne was just thirteen hours in
suWuing Stony Point, and as many seconds in leaving it ; that a well-organized rebel
household has thirteen children, all of whom expect to be generals and members of the
high and mighty Congress of the ' tliirteen united States ' when they attain thirteen
years ; that Mrs. Washington has a mottled tomcat (which she calls in a compliincntaiy
way Hamilton) with thirteen yellow rings around his tail, and that his flaunting it sug-
gested to the Congi'ess the adoption of the same number of stripes for the rebel flag." —
Journal of Captain Smytlie, E. A., Januaiy, 1780.
FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES.
265
form and size, typifying the similarity of the several States, and,
grouped in a constellation, represented their unity.
It will probably never be known who designed our union of stars.
The records of Congress being silent upon the subject, and there being
no mention or suggestion of it in any of the voluminous correspondence
or diaries of the time, public or private, which have been published.
It has been asked why the stars on our banner are five-pointed,
while those on our coins are, and always have been, six-pointed. The
answer is, that the designer of our early coins followed the English,
and the designer of our flag the European, custom.^ In the heraldic
language of England, the star has six points ; in the heraldry of Hol-
land, France, and Germany, the star is five-pointed.
Mr. William J. Canby, in 1870, read before the Historical Society of
Pennsylvania a paper on the American Flag, in which he claimed that
his maternal gi'andmother,
Mrs. John Eoss,^ w^as the
maker and partial designer
of the first flao; combining
the stars and stripes. The
house where this flag was
made is now No. 239 Arch
Street, below Third ; it is a
small two-storied and attic
tenement, formerly No.
89, and was occupied by
Mrs. Ptoss after the death
of her first husband. The
illustration is from a pho-
tograph furnished by Mr.
Canby.
A committee of Con-
gress, he asserts, accompa-
nied by General Washing-
ton, in June, 1776,^ called
upon Mrs. Eoss, who was
House where the first Stars and Strijies are said to Lave
been made.
^ Editor Historical Magazine.
- Mrs. Ross's maiden name was Griscom. After the death of Mr. Ross, she mar-
ried, second, Ashburn, who died a prisoner of war in the Mill Prison, England ; and, third,
John Claypole, a lineal descendant of Oliver Cromwell. Mrs. Ross's first husband was
the nephew of Colonel George Ross, one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence.
3 Washington was called from New York to Philadelphia, June, 1776, to advise with
Congress on the state of afl'airs just previous to the Declaration of Independence, and was
absent from Xew York fifteen days. — Sparls's Washinyton, p. 177.
L'iKi iiKK.IN AM" ri;n(;i;i;ss t»r I'llH
an uphulstoivr, iiiul cugu^uJ licr lu make the Hag i'unn a rough draw-
ing, whicli, at lier suggestion, was redrawn by General Washington in
pencil in her ]»ack parlor. The tlag tin is designed was adopted by
<'ongress, an<l was, acconling to Mr. I'iiiiliy, the lirst star-spangled
banner whicli ever lioated ou the breeze.
^Irs. Eoss received the employment of Hag-making for government,
and continued in it for many years. Three of ]\Irs. lioss's daughters
were living when Mr. Canl>y wrote his jtaper, and confirm its state-
ments, founding their belief u]»on wliat their mother had told them
concerning it. A niece. Miss Maigaret Boggs, then living atCierman-
town, aged ninety-five, was al§o cognizant of the fact. As related by
them. Colonel George lioss and (Jeneral Washington visited Mrs.
Ross and asked her to make the flag. She said, " I don't know
whether I can, but I'll try ; " and directly suggested to the gentle-
men that the design was wrong, the stars being six-cornered and not
five-cornered [pointed], as they should be. This was altered, and
other changes made.
Mr. Canby, in a letter written soon after reading his paper, says : ^
"It is not tradition, it is report from the lips of the principal partici-
pator in the transaction, directly told not to one or two, but a dozen
or more living witnesses, of whom I myself am one, though but a
little boy M'hen I heard it. I was eleven years old when Mrs. Eoss
died in our house, and well remember her telling the story. My
mother and two of her sisters are living, and in good memory. I
have the narrative from the lips of the oldest one of my aunts, now
deceased, reduced to writing in 1857. This aunt, Mrs. Clarissa Wil-
son, succeeded to the business, and continued making flags for the
na^7^-ya^d and arsenals and for the mercantile marine for many
years, until, being conscientious on the subject of war, she gave up
the government business, but continued the mercantile until 1857.
Washington was a frequent visitor at my grandmother's house before
receiving command of the army. She embroidered his shirt ruffles,
and did many other things for him. He knew her skill with the
needle. Colonel Eoss, with Eobert Morris and General Washington,
called upon Mrs. Eoss, and told her they were a committee of Con-
gress, and wanted her to make tlie flag from the drawing, a rough one,
which, upon her suggestions, was redrawn by General Washington in
pencil in her back parlor. This was prior to the Declaration of
Independence. I fix the date to be during W^ashington's visit to
Congress from Xew York in June, 177G, when he came to confer
1 Letters from W. J. Canby, March 29, 1870 ; Nov. 9, 1871.
FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES. 267
upon the affairs of the army, the flag being, no doubt, one of these
affairs." ^
Mr. Canby contends that the stars and stripes were in common if
not general use soon after the Declaration of Independence, nearly a
year before the resolution of Congress proclaiming them the flag of
the United States of America ; but I cannot agree with him.
He finds evidence of this in the fact that regiments were allowed
compensation for altering their colors after July 4, 1776, and that
Indian tribes during that year petitioned Congress for a flag of the
United States. He probably refers to the following, which is dated
eleven days earlier than the resolve giving birth to the new constel-
lation: "Philadelphia, June 3, 1777, Colonial Eecords, vol. xi. p. 212.
The President laid before the council three strings of wampum, which
had been delivered to him some time before by Thomas Green, a
nominal Indian of the nation, requesting that di.. flag of the, United
States might be delivered to him to take to the chiefs of the nation, to
be used by them for their security and protection, when they may
have occasion to visit us their brethren, and that his Excellency had
referred him to Congress for an answer to his request." ^ He also re-
gards as evidence the statements of Miss Montgomery,^ that her
father, Captain Hugh jSIontgomery, early in July, 1776, hoisted the
stars and stripes. Her statement is that Eobert Morris, in the winter
of 1775, chartered the brig Nancy, commanded by her father, who was
one of the owners of the brig. In March, 1776, she sailed for Porto
Eico under Enclish colors, thence to other "West India islands, and
finally to St. Thomas, where, when her cargo was nearly completed,
information was received that independence was declared, with a de-
scription of the colors adopted. " This was cheering intelligence to
the captain, and would divest him of acting clandestinely. Now they
^ A ridiculous pamphlet lias been published entitled ' The History of the First
United States Flag and the Patriotism of Betsy Koss, the immortal heroine that origi-
nated the First Flag of the Union. Dedicated to the Ladies of the United States. By
Colonel J. Franklin Reigart, author of the " Life of Robert Fulton. " Harrisburg, Pa. : Lane
S. Hart, Printer and Binder, 1878.' It is a handsome 4toof twenty -five pages, illustrated
\At\\ a pretended portrait of Mrs. Betsy Ross (printed in colors) making the first flag,
but which is really the portrait of a Quaker lady of Lancaster, now living, and taken from
a photograph ! His facts and dates and assumptions are equally unreliable. Mr. Canby
repudiates the book, and says it does not correctly present the modest Quaker lady (his
grandmother) or her claim. The book is a literary curiosity.
2 In the orderly book of the army at Williamsburg, under date April 8, 1776, the
colonels are desired to provide themselves with colors, but " it doeth not signify of what
sort they are."
3 Reminiscences of Wilmington, in Familiar Village Tales, Ancient and New, by
Elizabeth Montgomery, pp. 176-179. Philadelphia : T. K. Collins, Jr., 1851.
268 oKiiiiN AM) I'K(k;i:i;ss of iiih
could show their true colors. The matorial was at once procured, and
a youujf man on board set to work i)rivately to make them." He was
well known in after years as Cai)tain Thomas Alendenhall. The num-
ber of men was increased, the brii,' armed for defence, and all things
put in order. The day they sailed, the captain invited the governor
and his suite, with twenty other gentlemen, on board to dine. A
sumptuous dinner was cooked ; and a sea-turtle being prepared, gave
it the usual name of a turtle feast.
" As the custom-house barges approached witli the company, they
were ordered to lay on their oars while a salute of thirteen guns was
fired. Amid this firing Mendenhall was ordered to haul down the
English Hag and hoist the first American stars ever seen in a foreign
port.^ Cheers for the national congress ; cries of ' Down with the lion,
up with the stars and stripes 1 ' were shouted. This caused great ex-
citement to tlie numberless vessels then lying in tlie harbor, and to
the distinguished guests was a most animating scene. After the en-
tertainment was hurried over, they returned in their boats, and the
brig was soon under full sail." Miss Montgomery then naiTates the
Xancy's approach to our coast, and her being run ashore and blown up
to avoid capture by a British fleet, and says, " One tottering mast, with
the national flag flying, seemed only left to guess her fate. Still a
quantity of powder and merchandise was left below, and it was re-
solved, ere she was abandoned, to prevent these stores from falling
into the hands of the enemy by blowing her up. The plan was ar-
ranged so that the men could have time to leave, and the captain and
four hands were the last to quit. As the boat distanced the wreck,
one man, John Hancock, jumped overboard, as he said, ' to save the
beloved banner or perish in the attempt.' His movement was so
sudden that no chance was afforded to prevent his boldness, and they
looked on with terror to see him ascend the shivering mast, and de-
liberately unfasten the flag, then plunge into the sea and bear it to the
shore." The enemy, taking this act as a signal of surrender, hastened
in their boats " to take possession of the prize, and was involved in the
subsequent explosion." Miss Montgomery's narrative proves, if any
thing, not that her father hoisted the stars and stripes, but the conti-
nental flag; for the Nancy was blown up on the 29th of June, 1776,
five days before the Declaration of Independence, and before a draw-
ing of Mrs. Ptoss's flag, in accordance with Mr. Canby's theory,
could have reached her in the West Indies, as will be seen by the
1 A beautiful mezzotinto engraving of the Nancy flying the stars and stiipes ( ! ) fur-
nishes a frontispiece to Miss Montgomery's * Reminiscences.'
FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES. 269
following statement in a newspaper, dated " Philadelphia, June 29,
1776. The brig Nancy, Captain Montgomery, of six 3-pounders
and eleven men, from St. Croix and St. Thomas, for this port, with
three hundred and eighty-six barrels of gunpowder, fifty firelocks, one
hundred and one hogsheads of rum, and sixty-two hogsheads of sugar,
&c., on board, in the morning of the 29th of June, when standing for
Cape May, discovered six sail of men-of-war, tenders, &c., making
towards him, as also a row-boat. The boat and tenders he soon after
engaged and beat off, stood close alongshore, and got assistance from
Captains Wickes and Barry, when it was agreed to run the brig ashore,
which was done ; and, under favor of a fog, they saved two hundred
and sixty-eight barrels of powder, fifty arms, and some dry-goods,
when the fog clearing away, Captain Montgomery discovered the
enemy's ships very near him, and five boats coming to board the brig,
on which he started a quantity of powder in the cabin, and fifty
pounds in the mainsail, in the folds of which he put fire, and then
quitted her. The men-of-war's boats (some say two, some three)
boarded the brig, and took possession of her, with three cheers ; soon
after which the fire took the desired effect, and blew the pirates forty
or fifty yards into the air and much shattered one of their boats under
her stern ; eleven dead bodies have since come on shore, with two
gold-laced hats and a leg with a garter. From the number of limbs
floating and driven ashore, it is supposed thirty or forty of them were
destroyed by the explosion. A number of people from on board our
ships of war, and a number of the inhabitants of Cape May, mounted
a gun on shore, with which they kept up a fire at the barges, which
the men-of-war, &c., returned, and killed ]\Ir. Wickes, third lieutenant
of the continental ship Eeprisal, and wounded a boy in the thigh." ^
Although the flag of thirteen stripes had been displayed Jan. 2,
1776, the following order shows conclusively that no common flag had
been adopted for the continental army in February : ^ —
" Head-quakteks, 20th February, 1776.
^^ Parole, 'Manchester.' Countersign, ' Bojle.'
" As it is necessary that every regiment should be furnished with colors,
and that those colors bear some kind of similitude to the regiment to which
they belong, the colonels, with their respective brigadiers and with the
quartermaster-general, may fix upon any such as are proper and can be pro-
cured. There must he for each regiment the standard for regimental colors,
and colors for each grand division, — the whole to he small and light. The
1 American Archives, 4th series, vol. vi. p. 11.32.
2 See note ante, p. 226, letter and order on same subject, dated May 28 and 31, 1776.
270 oKicix \M> i'i:<i(;i;i:ss ok 'iiik
as
iuiinl)er uf the regiment is t.. \>r. inaikcl on tlio (;(.l<.rs, and sucli motto
the colonels may choose, in lixing upon which tlie general advisor a c(msul-
tation among them. The colonels are to delay no time in getting the matter
fixed, that the quartermaster-general may provide the colore for them as soon
as possible. "(3o. WAsniN(;T(jN."
Washington's tir.st requi-sitiou on iirriving in camp was i'ur une
luindrod axes, and bunting for colors. At the battle of Long Island,
fought August, 1776, a regimental color of red damask, having only
the word ' Liberty' on the field, was captured by the liritish.
On the 24th of February, 1776, the Committee of Safety at Pliila-
delphia ordered " that Captain Proctor procure a Hag-staff for the fort,
with a flag of the United Colonics" ^ and that Commodore Caldwell and
Captain Proctor fix upon proper signals for the fieet, merchantmen,
and battery. Under date Aug. 19, 1776, Captain WilHam Eichards
writes to tlie Pennsylvania Council of Safety : —
" Gentlemen, I hope you have agreed what sort of color I am to
have made for the galleys, &c., as they are much wanted ; " and under
date " Oct 15, 1776 : " Gentlemen, the commodore was with me this
morning, and says the fleet has not any colors to hoist if they sliould
be called to duty. It is not in my power to get them done, until there
is a design to make the colors by." ^
The colors he asked a design for were State colors, but the request
shows that no national colors had been adopted, and the continental
flag was still in use.
The first colors made for this fleet, of which there is record, were
made by Mrs. Elizabeth Koss, as is shown by the following, extracted
from the minutes of the Navy Board : —
"State Navy Boaed, May 29, 1777.
" Present : William Bradford, Joseph Marsh,
Joseph Blewer, Paul Cox.
"An order on William Webb to EHzabeth Ross for fourteen pounds,
twelve shillings, and two pence, for making ship's colours, &c., put into Wil-
liam Eichards store. £14. 12. 2." ^
1 Pennsylvania Colonial Eecords, vol. x. p. 494.
2 Pennsylvania Archives, vol. v. pp. 13, 14.
8 Pennsylvania Archives, 1st series, vol. v. p. 46.
Joseph Webb was paid by the Massachusetts Board of War, May 5, 1777, "To
mending an ensign and sewing in a pine tree, 6s.
•,--y State of Massachusetts Bay to Jos. Webb, Dr.
Aug. 20. To making a suit Colours, 44s.; thread, 12.s. ; painting Pine
Trees, &e., 24s £4. 0. 0
For Brig Freedom, Capt. Clouston.
To 22 yards narrow "crimson Bunting added, 2s 2.4.0
JOUX CLOU.STOX. £6. 4. 0
FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES. 271
When the Declaration of Independence was received at Easton,
Penn., July 8, the colonel and all the other field-officers of the first
battalion repaired to the court-house, the light infantry company
inarching there with their drums beating, fifes playing, "and the
standard (the device for which is the thirteen United Colonies), which
was ordered to be displayed." ^
The Declaration was read in New York in the presence of Wash-
ington by one of his aids, on the 9th of July, 1776, in the centre of a
hollow square of the troops, drawn up on the Park near where there
is now a fountain, and the " grand union " flag of Cambridge was then,
if it had not been earlier, unfurled in New York. On the 10th the
Declaration was read at the head of the several brigades.
On the 9th it was proclaimed from the old State House in Phila-
delphia, by the Committee of Safety, and the king's arms were taken
from the court-house and committed to a bonfire in front of it.
Thursday, July 18, 1776, it was proclaimed from the balcony of
the State House in Boston, and the king's arms and every sign of
them taken down and burnt, bells rung, &c.
It was not until Sept. 9, 1776, that Congress ordered "all conti-
nental commissions and instruments should be made to read ' United
States,' where heretofore the words ' United Colonies ' had been used."
The first anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, July 4,
1777, was celebrated in Philadelphia, with demonstrations of joy and
festivity. About noon, all the armed ships and galleys in the river
were drawn up before the city, dressed in the gayest manner, with the
colors of the United States and streamers flying. At one o'clock, the
yards being manned, they celebrated tlie day by a discharge of thir-
teen cannon from each ship, and one from each of the thirteen galleys,
in honor of the thirteen United States. In the afternoon, an elegant
dinner was provided by Congress, when toasts were drank and feu-dc-
joies were fired. The troops were reviewed by Congress and the
General Officers, and the day closed with the ringing of bells and
exhibition of fireworks, which began and ended with thirteen rockets.
The city was beautifully illuminated.^
At Charleston, S. C, at sunrise the same day, American colors were
displayed from all the forts, batteries, and vessels in the harbor,^ and
at one o'clock the forts discharged seventy-six pieces, alluding to the
glorious year 1776.
1 Pennsylvania Evening Post, July 11, 1776 ; New England Chronicle, vol. viii. No.
414, July 25, 1776.
2 Pennsylvania Journal, July 9, 1777. ^ Independent Clironicle, July 31, 1777.
272 oniiiiN AM> i'i:()(.KEss or tiik
Similar rejoicinj,'s uiul displays of tlic ' riiited States' colors were
had all over the couiitrv.
The portrait o\' Washington at the battle of Trenton, Dec. 2G-27,
1776, painted by Charles Wilson I'eale in 1 77'.', rejjresents the union
jack, with the thirteen stars arranj^^etl in a circle; hut it affords only
presumptive prijof that such a Hag was carried. ;Mr. Teale's son,
Titian R Peale, writing a friend in 1870, says: "Whether the
union jack was my father's design, original or not, I cannot say,
but 1 suppose it was, because he has somewhat marred the artistic
effect by showing the stars, and flattening the field to show their ar-
rangement ; " and in another letter he .says : " I have just had time to
visit the Smithsonian Institution to see the portrait of Washington
painted by my father, C. W. Peale, after the battle of Trenton. It is
marked in his handwriting, 1770. The Hag represented is a blue field
with white stars arranged in a circle. I don't know that I ever heard
my father speak of that flag, but the trophies at Washington's feet I
know he painted from the flags then captured, and which were left
with him for the purpose. He was always very particular in matters
of historic record in his pictures (the service sword in that picture is
an instance, and probably caused its acceptance by Congress). The
blue ribbon has also excited comment, — the badge of a field-marshal
of France in that day.^ I have no other authority, but feel assured
that flag was the flag of our army at the time, 1779.^ My father com-
manded a company at the battles of Germantown, Trenton, Princeton,
and Monmouth, and was soldier as well as painter, and, I am sure,
represented the flag then in use, not a regimental flag, but one to mark
the new republic." ^
An unfinished sketch of the battle of Princeton, Jan. 3, 1777, in
the Trumbull Gallery at Xew Haven, represents the
American Ha" with thirteen white stars on a blue
field, arranged as in the diagram, — and with thirteen
stripes, red and av bite alternately. As Colonel Trum-
bull was in active service until February, 1777, his
representation of the flag carried by the troops, with
which he must have been familiar, is worthy of attention.^
Arthur Lee, one of our commissioners to France, writing Henry
^ Washington's general order, July 24, 1775, prescribes a hroad jmrjjh ribbon as the
distinguishing mark of a major-general. See note, ante, p. 224.
2 Possibly in 1779 ; but in December, 1776, or in January, 1777, the stars had no
place on our flag. See ante, p. 198.
8 Letter to John A. McAllister, 1872.
FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES.
273
Laurens, the President of tlie Continental Congress, Sept. 20, 1778, a
year after the public promulgation of the law of June, 1777, which
prescribed the thirteen stripes to be red and white alternately, says :
" The ship's colors should be white, red, and blue alternately, to thir-
teen, and in the upper angle [canton] next the staff a blue field with
thirteen white stars."
I am indebted to ]\Iiss Sarah Smith Staflbrd for the following ac-
count of the presentation of the first star-gemmed banner by ladies
of Philadelphia to Paul Jones. This story she received from Mrs.
Patrick Hayes, who had it from her aunt. Miss Sarah Austin, one of
the donors. Miss Austin became later the second wife of Commodore
John Barry, U. S. N". "The patriotic ladies of Philadelphia met at
the Swedes' Church in that city, and under the direction of John
Swedes' Churcli, Philadelphia.
Brown, Esq., secretary of the new Board of Marine, formed or arranged
a flag, which was presented to Jones by Misses Mary and Sarah Aus-
tin in behalf of the patriotic ladies of Philadelphia. Captain Jones
was so delighted and enthusiastic, that after the presentation he pro-
cured a small boat, and, unfurling the flag, sailed up and down the
river before Philadelphia, showing it to thousands on shore." ^
Paul Jones claimed it was his good fortune to be the first to dis-
1 Miss Sarah Sniith Stafford, Letter, Jan. 15, 1873. I can find no notice of this
event iu the church records or in the newspapers of the time, and the fact, if fact it be,
rests on the statement of Miss Stafford and her informants.
18
274 OlilUIN AM) I'KUUliE.S.S UF TIIK
]>l;iv the stars and stvi]»cs on a naval vessel, as it had been his to hoist
with his own hand the "flag of America" for tlie first time on board
the Alfred. He also claimed to have obtained and received for our
star-spangled banner the first salute granted to it in Europe.
The day that Congress passed the resolve in relation to the Hag of
the thirteen United States, June 14, 1777, it also "Resolved, That Paul
Jones be appointed to the command of the Ranger ; " and soon after lie
hoisted the new flag on board of that vessel at Portsmouth. The
Eanger, however, did not get to sea until the 1st of November, nearly
five months later. Her battery of sixteen G-j)ounders, throwing only
forty-eight pounds of shot from a broadside excites a smile of contempt
in these days of heavy guns ; otherwise, she was poorly equipped.
Among her deficiencies Jones laments having only thirty gallons of
rum for the crew to drink on their passage to Nantes. He also rep-
resented her as slow and crank, but nevertheless managed to capture
two prizes on his passage to Europe, and reached Nantes in thirty
days from Portsmouth, N. H.
From Nantes Jones sailed to Quiberon Bay, convoying some Amer-
ican vessels, and placing them under the protection and convoy of the
French fleet commanded by Admiral La Motte Piquet. From him,
after some coiTespondence, Jones succeeded in obtaining the first sa-
lute ever paid by a foreign naval power to the stars and stripes. The
story is best told in Jones's letter to the Naval Committee, dated Feb.
22,1778: —
" I am happy," he says, " to have it in my power to congratulate on
my having seen the American flag, for the first time, recognized in the
fullest and completest manner by the flag of France. I was off tliis
bay on the 13th inst., and sent my boat in the next day to know if
the admiral would return my salute. He answered that he would
return to me as the senior American continental officer in Europe tlie
same salute as he was authorized to return to an admiral of Holland
or any other republic, which was four guns less than the salute given.
I hesitated at this, for I had demanded gun for gun.
" Therefore I anchored in the entrance of the bay at a distance
from the French fleet ; but after a very particular inquiry on the 14tli,
finding that he really told the truth, I was induced to accept his offer,
the more as it was an achnouied gmcnt of Amcriean Inde^jendence.
" The wind being contrary and blowing hard, it was after sunset
before the Eanger ^ was near enough to salute La Motte Piquet with
^ Jones, in his letter to the American commissioners at Paris, dated Brest, May 27,
1778, mentions that in the action between tlie Eanger and the Drake on the 24th of
I
FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES. 275
thirteen guns, which he returned with nine. How^ever, to put the
matter beyond a doubt, I did not suffer the Independence to salute
until the next morning, when I sent word to the admiral that I would
sail through his fleet in the brig, and would salute him in open day.
He was exceedingly pleasant, and returned the compliment also with
nine guns." ^
As if Providence delighted to honor Jones over all others in con-
nection with our flag, and was determined to entwine his name with
its early history, was assigned to him the honorable duty of displaying
it for the first time on board the first ship of the line built for the
United States, and fitly named ' The America.'
This ship, like the Eanger, was built at Portsmouth, N. H., and
Jones appointed to command her. Before she could be launched,
the Magnifique, one of the finest ships of the line of the French navy,
was stranded near Boston harbor, and to replace her, the America,
by a resolve of the American Congress, was presented to our ally, the
sovereign of Prance. Jones, however, was retained in command, and
superintended her construction ; and on the 5th of November, 1782, dis-
playing the French and American flags from her stern, he launched her
into the waters of Portsmouth harbor, and delivered her to the Chev-
alier Martigne, who had commanded the Magnifique. It seems prob-
able that Jones hoisted the stars and stripes over her the preceding-
summer, when, at his own expense, he celebrated the birthday of the
Dauphin of France, as it is recorded the ship on that occasion was
decorated with the flags of different nations, that of France being in
front, and that salutes were fired, and at night the ship brilliantly
illuminated, &c.
April preceding, when the latter hoisted the English colors, " t\\Q American stars vi^ve.
displa3'ed on board the Panger." — Sherburne's Life of Jones. This is the first recorded
action under the new flag.
The Eanger was taken with other vessels in the port of Charleston, S. C, on the sur-
render of that city to the British. — Charnoclcs Biographie Navalis, vol. vi. p. 5.
"The continental colors" borne on the General Mifflin, Captain William McNeil, had
been saluted at Brest, August, 1777, much to the indignation of the English ambassador,
Lord Stormont, and had been saluted at St. Eustatia by the Dutch governor, De Graff,
Nov. 16, 1776, in acknowledgment of a salute from the brig Andrea Doria, Captain Rob-
ertson. See ante, p. 244. The evidence of the pamphlet proves the striped continental
flag was saluted at St. Eustatia.
1 Dr. Ezra Green, the surgeon of the Ranger, mentions the salute in his diary, under
date "Saturday, 14th Feb. Very squally weather, came to sail at 4 o'clock p.m. Sa-
luted the frencli Admiral, & rec'd nine guns in return. This is the first salute ever pay'd
the American flagg.
" Sundcty, 15th Feb'y. Brig Independence saluted the french Flagg, which was re-
turned."
276 <>i:i<;iN am* i'i;n(;i:i;ss of iiik
The lirst military inciiltiit coiineih'cl with the new \hv^ occurred on
the iM of Au-,'u.st, 1777, wWn Lieutenants Wnd and ]>rant invested Fort
Stanwix,* tlien coniniandcd by Colonel Peter (lansevoort. The gar-
rison was without a lla",^ when the enemy ajipeared, l)ut their patriot-
ism and ingenuity soon supplied one in eonl'ormity to the pattern just
adopted by the Continental Congress. Shirts were cut up to form the
wliite stripes, bits of scarlet cloth were joined for the red, and the
blue ground for the stars was composed of a cloth cloak belonging to
Captain Abraham Swartwout, of Dutchess County, who was then in
the fort. Before sunset, this curious mosaic standard, as precious to
the beleaguered garrison as the most beautiful wrought flag of silk
and needle-work, was floating over one of the bastions. The siege
was raised on the 22d of August, but we are not told what liecame of
the improvised flag.
The narrative of Colonel Marinus Willett presents a different ver-
sion of this story. He says, " The fort had never been supplied with
a flag. The necessity of having one, upon the arrival of the enemy,
taxed the invention of the garrison, and a decent one was soon con-
trived. The white stripes were cut out of ammunition shirts fur-
nished by the soldiers ; the blue out of the camlet cloak taken from the
enemy at Peekskill ; while the red stripes w^ere made of different pieces
of stuff procured from one and another of the garrison."
In his statement to Governor Trumbull, Aug. 21, 1777, of the oc-
currences at and near Fort Stanwix, Colonel Willett mentions as one
of the results of his sally from the fort on the 6th, preceding, that he
captured and brought off five of the enemy's colors, the whole of which
on his return to the fort were displayed on the flag-staff under the
impromptu made continental flag.^
Mr. Haven, in a paper read before the New Jersey Historical
Society, says : " From traditional reports in circulation here, the
first time that our national flag \vas used after the enactment con-
cerning it by Congress was by General Washington, in tlie liurried
and critical stand made by him on the banks of the Assanpink, wlien
he repulsed Cornwallis, Jan. 2, 1777. As this conflict was the turning-
point, in connection with what succeeded at Princeton, of the struggle
for independence, and the glorious consequences which followed, does
1 Fort Stanwdx was built in 1758 by an English general of that name, and was re-
named 'Schuyler' by Colonel Daj-ton in 1777. In 'Hai-per's Magazine' for July, 1877,
there is a picture of the site of Fort Schuyler, and portraits of Colonels Gansevoort and
Willett. The present town of Rome covers the site of Fort Schuyler.
- Lossing's Field-Book of American Revolution, vol. i. p. 242.
I
FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES. 277
not this signal baptism of the stars and stripes, with the hope and
confidence regenerated by it, seem providential? Freedom's vital
spark was then rekindled, and our own country and the whole civil-
ized world are now illumined with its beams."
But this occurrence took place six months before the stars and
stripes were adopted, and tradition must be mistaken. It is true,
Leutze, in his great picture of Washington crossing the Delaware, has
painted Colonel Munroe in the boat holding the stars and stripes, but
it is with an artist's license.^
Beyond a doubt, the thirteen stars and thirteen stripes were un-
furled at the battle of Brandy wine, Sept. 11, 1777, eight days after
the official promulgation of them at Philadelphia, and at Germantown
on the 4th of October following ; they witnessed the operations against
and the surrender of Burgoyne, after the battle of Saratoga, Oct. 17,
1777 ; and the sight of this new constellation helped to cheer the
patriots of the army amid their sufferings around the camp fires at
VaUey Forge the ensuing winter. They waved triumphant at the
surrender of Cornwallis at Yorktown, Sept. 19, 1781 ; looked down
upon the evacuation of New York, Nov. 25, 1783 ; and shared in all
the glories of the latter days of the Eevolution.
A monument which is to be erected in commemoration of the
battle of Saratoga will cover the exact spot where the marquee of
General Gates was situated, which witnessed the formal surrender of
Burgoyne, and the formal unfurling of the stars and stripes.
On the 28th of January, 1778, the stars and stripes for the first time
waved over a foreign fortress. About eleven o'clock the night pre-
vious, the American sloop-of-war Providence,^ Captain John Eath-
burne, mounting twelve 4-pounders, with a crew of fifty men, landed
twenty-five of her crew on the island of New Providence. They were
joined by about eighteen or twenty Americans escaped from British
prison-ships, and who were waiting an opportunity to return home.
This small body of men took possession of Fort Nassau, with the can-
non, ammunition, and three hundred stand of small-arms, and hoisted
the stars and stripes.
In the port lay a 16-gun ship, with a crew of forty- five men, and
five vessels, all prizes to the British sloop Grayton. At daybreak, four
men were sent on board the 16-gun ship to take possession of her, and
send the officers and crew into the fort. Her prize captain was shown
the American Hag hoisted on the fort, and informed his ship would be
1 See ante, p. 198.
2 The Providence was captured when Charleston was taken, 1780.
27H oKK.iN AM» i'ij()(;i;i:>s of the
instantly sunk sliduM ho hesitate to surrender. Thus intimidated, lie
pive her uj), and the live prize vessels were seeured in a similar man-
ner. Possession was also taken of the western fort, its cannon spiked,
and its powder and small-arms removed to Fort Nas.sau. Altout twelve
oVdock, some two hundred armed people assembled and threatened to
attack the fort ; but, on being informed if they fired a single gun the
town woidd be laid in ashes, they dispersed. Soon after the Provi-
dence had anchored, the British ship Grayton hove in sight. The
American colors were immediately taken down, and the guns of the
Providence housed, hoping the Grayton would come to anchor. But
the inhabitants signalled to her the state of affairs, and she stood off.
The fort opened fire upon her, but she made her escape.
About three o'clock the next morning, some five hundred men with
several pieces of artillery marched within sight of the fort, and sum-
moned it to surrender, threatening at the same time to storm the place
and put all to the sword without mercy. The Americans, however,
in the presence of the messenger, nailed their colors to the flag-staff,
and returned answer that, while a man of them survived, they would
not surrender.
The following morning the prizes were manned, the guns of the fort
spiked, the ammunition and small-arms conveyed on board the Prov-
idence, and the whole American garrison was embarked and put to
sea, after having held possession of the fort two days. Two of the
prizes, being of little value, were burnt, the others were sent to the
United States.
When the news that the treaty of alliance with France (the first
treaty of our new republic with a foreign power) wliich had been signed
at Paris, Feb. 6, 1778,^ was received, General Washington, from his
head-quarters at Valley Forge, ordered, on May 2d, that the following
day should be set apart "for gratefully acknowledging the divine
goodness and celebrating the important event which we owe to his
Itenigu interposition." Accordingly, the army was reviewed by the
commander-in-chief, with banners waving, and at given signals, after
the discharge of thirteen cannon and a running fire of infantry, the
whole army huzzaed, " Long live the King of France ! " then, after a
like salute of thirteen guns and a second general discharge of musketry,
" Huzza ! long live the friendly European powers ! " then a final
discharge of thirteen pieces of artiQery, followed by a general running
fire and " Huzza for the American States ! " ^
^ Pennsylvania Packet, Marcli 28, 1778.
2 The French alliance was looked upon as a wonderful interposition of Providence,
I
FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES. 279
The officers approached the place of entertainment thirteen abreast
and closely linked in each other's arms, thus signifying the thirteen
American States, and the interweaving of arms a complete union and
most perfect confederation.^
The next interesting incident connected with the new constellation
occurred on the 7th of March, 1778, when the continental ship Ean-
dolph, 32, Captain Xicholas Biddle, was blown up in an engagement
with the Yarmouth, 64, Captain Vincent.
and every measure that could be, was taken to extend a sentiment of confidence in the
result of the struggle after this happy event. As one means of effecting this end, the
following cui'ious statement was published thi'oughout the United States : —
"Wmiderful Appearances and Omens.
" 1. After the surrender of Burgoyne, and while the treaty of alliance with France was
on the carpet, the American heavens were illuminated at intervals for whole months to-
gether. The aurora borealis, or northern lights, were the gi-eatest ever seen in America.
" 2. When the fleet of his most Christian majesty, twelve ships of the line, and by the
capture of a British ship of force, thirteen, and commanded by the admiral, the illustrioiLS
D'Estaing, hove in sight of our capes, the artUlery of the skies was discharged, and thir-
teen thunders were distinctly heard on the coast of the Delaware.
" 3. On the morning after the arrival of his plenipotentiary, the illusti'ious Gerard,
being the thirteenth of the month, an aloe-tree — the only one in this State — immedi-
ately shot forth its spire, which it never does but once in its existence, and in some other
climates only once in a hundred years. It has been planted forty years in the neighbor-
hood of this city, and previously only produced four leaves a year, until this year, when
it produced thirteen. The spire is remarkable, being thirteen inches round, and ha\-ing
grown thirteen feet in the first thirteen days. The Scotch talk much of the thistle, and
the South Britons of the Glastonbury thorn. jSIuch finer things may be said of the aloe of
America and the fleur-de-lis of France." — Westcott's History of Philadelphia, published
in Sunday Dispatch, April, 1872.
In 1781, on the occasion of Washington's visit to Philadelphia, among other devices
was a painting representing the British lion lying exhausted, wounded with thirteen ar-
rows, a cock, emblem of France, standing on his body, with the motto, " Gallus victuni
super leonem cantat." At another window was the Genius of America trampling on
discord, clothed in white, covered by a purple mantle strewed with stars, a fillet on her
head with the word "Perseverance." In one hand a banner of thirteen stripes, with the
words, " Equal Eights."
On the left-hand comer of the membership certificate of the Society of the Cincinnati,
Issued in 1785, is represented a strong armed man, bearing in one hand a union flag,
and in the other a naked sword. Beneath his feet are British flags, a broken spear, shield,
and chain. Hovering by his side is the eagle, our national emblem, from whose talons
the lightning of destruction is flashing upon the British lion, and Britannia, with the
crown falling from her head, is hastening to make her escape in a boat to the fleet.
The union flag of this certificate is composed of thirteen alternate red and white st7-ipes
and a lohite union, in which is painted the present arms of the United States, adopted in
1782. A flag of this kind may have been in use in the army earlier.
1 A full account of this joyful occasion can be found in the ' New Jersey Gazette,'
May 13, 1778, 'New York Journal,' June 15, and is copied in Frank Moore's 'Diary of
the Eevolution,' vol. ii. pp. 48-52.
L>,SU OKK.IN AM» I'KOCKKSS (>K Till-:
The Kandolph, built in riiiliuk-liihia in 177"»-7<), sailed from
Charleston, S. C, on her last cruise, early in February, 1778. On the
afternoon of Marcli 7, wiien about fifty leagues to the eastward nl' r>ar-
badoes, 1)eing in company with the (Jeneral jMoultrie, of IH ^uns, she
discovered a ship, which proved to be the Yarmouth, 04. The IJandolph
and Moultrie hove to and allowed the stmnger to come within hail
about eight r.M., when several (questions and answers passed between the
vessels. Lieutenant Barnes, of the Kandolph, at last called out, " This
is the Eandolph," hoisted her colors, and gave the Yarmouth a broad-
side. The action was continued about twenty minutes, and the sur-
geon was engaged in examining Captain Biddle's wound when the
Eandolph blew up. The two ships were in such close action that
many fragments of the Randolph struck the Yarmouth, and among
other things an American ensign, rolled up, was blow^n in upon the
forecastle of the Yarmouth.^ The flag was not singed. Cooper, in his
novel, 'Ze Feu Follet' seizes upon this incident, when he describes the
flag of that rover after her sudden disappearance as washed upon the
forecastle of the ship in chase.
Five days after the engagement, the Yarmouth discovered a piece
of the wreck with four men on it, the only survivors of a crew of
of three hundred and fifteen who had so gallantly sustained the
action.
A model of the Eandolph has been preserved, and in 1842 was to
be seen in the hall of the Naval Asylum at Philadelphia.
In the agreement (June, 1779) between John Paul Jones, captain
of the Bon Homme Richard, Pierre Landais, captain of the Alliance,
Dennis Nicolas Cottineaux, captain of the Pallas, Joseph Varage, cap-
tain of the Le Cerf, and Philip Nicolas Recot, captain of the Ven-
geance, it was stipulated the Franco- American squadron should fly
" the flag of the United States," and that it should be commanded by
the oldest officer of the highest grade, and so in succession in case
of death or retreat. The frigate Alliance, named in honor of the
treaty with France, and commanded by the obstinate, ill-tempered
Frenchman, Landais, was the only American-built vessel of the
squadron.
At a meeting of the New Jersey Historical Society, January, 1872,
1 It was fortunate for us that we were to windward of her ; as it was, our ship was in
a manner covered with parts of her. A great piece of a top timber, .six feet long, fell on
our x^oop ; another piece of timber stuck in our foretop-gallantsail (tlien upon the cap) ;
an American ensign, rolled up, blown upon the forecastle, not so much as singed." — Cap-
tain Vincent to Admiral Young, March 17, 1778.
I
FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES. 281
Mr. C. C. Haven made some interesting remarks concerning the origin
of our flag, and said that, in the conflict between the Bon Homme
Eichard and Serapis, " James Bayard Stafford was cut down by a Brit-
ish officer, but rescued and rehoisted her flag, which probably had no
stars or stripes." As that action was fought Sept. 2.3, 1779, two and a
half years after their establishment, and the agreement above recited
stipulates that the American squadron should fly "the flag of the
United States," Mr. Haven was evidently in error. Moreover, Freneau,
in his poem on " that memorable victory of Paul Jones," thus alludes
to the flag : —
"Go on, great man, to scourge the foe,
And bid the haughty Britons know
They to our thirteen stars shall bend :
The stars that, clad in dark attire,
Long ghmmered with a feeble fire,
But radiant now ascend."
And Jones, when in command of the Eanger, had received a salute ta
the stars and stripes on the 14th of February, 1778.
Placing the matter beyond a doubt. Miss Sarah Smith Stafford, of
Trenton, N". J., has in her possession the following letter : ^ —
1 Miss Stafford died at Trenton, X. J., Jan. 6, 1880, and the flag was willed by her
to her brother, Samuel Bayard Stafford. The autography is half the size of the original.
282
(n;i(;iN AND i'K<tt;i:i:ss of tiii:
Uur illusinilion, sli(i\vin,i,f tuxli-c stars and thirteen .stripes, is from a
photograph ol" the thig taken in 1872. Miss Staflbrd's story ol" the
flag is this : —
"About ten days belore the battle between the Bon Homme Rich-
ard and Serapis, Paul Jones captured a Dritish vessel of war and
her prize, an armed ship called the Kitty, commanded l»y Captain
Philip Stafford. Tlie Englishman had put tlie Kitty's crew in irons,
which were now transferred to them. The crew of the Kitty vol-
unteered to serve on board the Serapis. Among these volunteers
was James Bayard Stafford, a nephew of the captain of the Kitty,
and the father of the present owner of the flag. Being educated, he
was made an officer on board the Piichard. During the battle, her ilag
was shot away, and young Stafford jumped into the sea and recovered
it, and was engaged in replacing it when he was cut down by an
officer of the Serapis. When the Bon Homme Pticliard was sinking,
the flag was seized by a sailor and transferred by Jones to the Serapis,
and accompanied him to the Alliance, when he assumed the command
of tliat frigate at the Texal. After the sale of the Alliance, the flag
was sent to Stafford, as
the letter we have given
shows. This relic was
preserved by Lieutenant
Stafford, and by his
widow until her death,
Aug. 9, 1861, when it
came into the possession
of their daughter, whose
death has been recently
announced. Miss Staf-
ford states that her father
exhibited this cherished
flag to several of the crew
of the Bon Homme Pilch-
ard who called upon him,
for which they expressed
the deepest reverence-
Miss Stafford's earliest
recollection of the flag
is in 1806, when she
was not quite four years old, when, on the occasion of a family moving,
as a great favor she was permitted to carry it across the street.
Flag of tlie Bon IIoiiiiin; Richard, said to liavc been worn durinj;
her Action with the Serapis, Sept. 23, 1779.
FLAG OF THE UNIl VTES. 283
Why so small a flag was used — scarcely ^ laii a boat ensign of
the present day — may perhaps be explainer ction having been
fought at night, and because of the high cost "nglish material
and the difficulty in procuring it. The flag ha. laned to fairs
and festivals. It was exhibited at the sanitary in Philadel-
phia and New York, and at the great fair in Trento. 2, and was
at the Centennial Exhibition. A piece (shown in tht. .ation) cut
from the head of it at the beginning of our civil war, was, by direc-
tion of Mrs. Stafford, sent to President Lincoln.
The flag is of English bunting, and about eight and one-half yards
long and one yard five inches wide. It is sewed with flax thread, and
contains twelve white stars in a blue union, and thirteen white stripes,
alternately red and white. The stars are arranged in four horizontal
lines, three stars in each line.
Why its union has only twelve stars, unless they could find no
symmetrical j)lace for the odd star, is a mystery. It has been sug-
gested that only twelve of the colonies had consented to the con-
federation at the date of its manufacture ; but all the colonies had
confederated before the adoption of the stars in 1777, and the consent
of Georgia, the last to assent, was symbolized in the flag of thirteen
stripes, alternate red and white, at Cambridge, as early as Jan. 1,
1776. In the agreement signed by Jones and the captains of his
Franco- American squadron, June, 1779, it was stipulated the squadron
should fly the " flag of the United States." So we may be sure the
stars and stripes were flown in the flght between the Kichard and
Serapis, as they had been in the fight between the Ranger and Drake
six months before, as Jones himself stated. The remarkable action
between the Bon Homme Richard and the Serapis, fought within
sight of the shores of England, exercised as important an influence
upon our affairs in Europe as did the fight between the Kearsarge and
Alabama in recent times.
At the 4th of July celebration in Philadelphia, 1788, consequent
upon the adoption of the Federal Constitution, there was in the pro-
cession a Federal ship called " the Union," thirty-three feet in length,
the bottom of which was made from the barge of the frigate Alliance,
and which was also the barge of Serapis when she was captured by
the Bon Homme Richard. This little vessel is described in the news-
paper of the day " as a masterpiece of elegant workmanship, perfectly
proportioned and complete throughout, and decorated with emblemat-
ical carving," and, what was " truly astonishing, she was begun and
fully completed in less than four days, fully prepared to join the
2S4 OKKilN AM) I'lJOGUESS ()F Till:
grand procession. Sliu Avas sul)se(HU'ntly placed in tlic Slate House
yard, and. latei\ removed to Gray's Ferry. Her ultimate fate is un-
known."
How slowly the new ilags came into general use is shown by the
following notices : A manuscript Mritten by an ollicer on board the
privateer Cumberland, Captain John Manly, early in 1779, says,
alluding to the flag, in particular, of that vessel, "At this time we had
no national colors, and every ship had the right, or took it, to wear
what kind of fancy flag the captain pleased." ^ The diary of a surgeon
of the British forces in Charleston harbor, under date 1780, April 3,
says : " In the evening I walked across James Island to the mouth of
Wapoo Creek in Ashley liiver; saw the American thirteen-striped
flag displayed on the works opposite the shore redoubts commanded
by ]\Iajor ]\Iackleroth, and two other flags displayed in tlieir new works
opposite our forces on Charleston Neck, — while tliere they cannon-
aded our Avorking party on the Neck, — tlieir great battery fronting
Charleston harbor had tlie American flag of thirteen stripes displayed.
This, up to this clay, had been a blue Jlag vnth field and thirteen stars.
The other fiaff never hoisted until to-day."^
The strij)ed flag then hoisted was destined soon to come down, for
in a private letter dated "Broad Street, Charlestown, May 22, 1780,"
the writer says: "On the memorable 12th of this month I had the
pleasure to see the thirteen stripes with several white pendants lev-
elled to the ground, and the gates of Charlestown opened to receive our
conquering heroes, General Sir Henry Clinton and Admiral Arbuth-
not." And another letter, dated " May 19, 1780," says : " May 7, they
[the continentals] marched out, and Captain Hudson of the navy
marched in [to Fort Moultrie], took possession, levelled the thirteen
stripes with the dust, and the triumphant English flag was raised on
the staff." 3
The ' Pennsylvania Gazette ' of April 23, 1783, contains the resolve
respecting the flag of June 14, 1777, and rec^uests that the printers
insert the resolution in their respective newspapers in order that it
^ I. J. Greenwood, on Revolutionary Uniforms and Flags, in Potter's American
Monthly, 1876, vol. vi. p. 34.
2 Extract from the MS. diary of Dr. John Jeffries, now in the possession of his grand-
son, Dr. B. Joy Jeffries, of Boston, Mass. Dr. John Jeffries was a graduate of Harvard,
and, Jan. 7, 1785, in furtherance of his experiments in atmospheric temperature, made a
remarkable balloon voyage from Dover Cliffs over the English Channel, alighting in the
forest of Guienne, France. In 1789, he returned to Boston, where he was born in 1744,
and where his descendants reside.
8 From the Siege of Charleston, S. C, published by J, Munsell, 1867.
FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES. 285
may be generally known. The same paper states that " at a meeting
of the respectable inhabitants of Pittsgrove and the town adjacent, in
Salem County, State of New Jersey, for the celebration of peace, the
day was introduced with the raising of a monument of great height,
on which was displayed the ensign of peace with thirteen stripes."
Another number of the ' Gazette ' ^ says : " It is positively asserted
that the flag of the thirteen United States of America has been grossly
insulted in New York, and not permitted to be hoisted on board any
American vessel in that port. Congress should demand immediate
reparation for the indignity wantonly offered to all America, and, un-
less satisfactory concessions are instantly made, the British flag, which
now streams without interruption in our harbor, Philadelphia, should be
torn down, and treated with every mark of indignation and contempt."
The 25th of November, 1783, is memorable in the history of our
flag as the day of the evacuation of New York by the British troops.
On the morning of that day, — a cold, frosty, clear but brilliant morn-
ing, — General Knox marched to the Bowery Lane, and remained until
one P.M., when the British left their posts and marched to Whitehall.
The American troops followed, and before three p.:m. General Knox took
possession of Fort George. The British claimed the right of possession
until noon. Mr. Day, who kept a tavern at the lower end of Murray
Street, run up, the American flag in the morning, the first displayed in
the city. Cunningham, the British provost-marshal, ordered it down,
and, on the man's refusal to take it down, attempted to pull it down
himself He was met at the door by the proprietor's wife, a stout
woman, fair, fat, and forty, who came at and beat Cunningham so
vigorously over the head with her broomstick, that he was obliged to
decamp amid the jeers and laughter of the few spectators, and leave
the star-spangled banner waving. Dr. Alexander Anderson, well
known as the first wood engraver in America, and who died in 1870,
remembered seeing the powder fly from Cunningham's wig, and re-
lated the story to Mr. Bushnell in 1863, when eighty-nine years of
age.^
The flag hoisted on the evacuation of the city was for a long time
preserved in the American Museum at New York, and was destroyed
when that building was burnt. Mr. Barnum informs me that the flag
was well authenticated wlien presented to Mr. Scudder, founder of
the Museum, in 1810. The flag was of bunting, about nine or ten
1 Pennsylvania Gazette, Jlay 28, 1 783.
2 Narrative of the Life and Adventures of Levi Hanford, a soldier of the Revolution.
By Charles J. Bushnell, New York. Svo. Privately printed, 1863, p. 72.
286 (HMCIN AM» I'lioi.iiKSS OF THE
feet wiile by twelve m- lillceii in leii<,4li, ;iiid had the thirteen stars
aud stripes; the urnuigeiueut uf the stars is not remembered. It
was always run out in front of the Museum (mi the anniversaries of
Evaeuation Day and 4th of July, and was always saluted by the mili-
tary when passing.^
The British left their flag nailed to its staff on the battery, and
removed the halyards and greased the jMjle. There are several
stories as to how the flag was removed, Ijut it is generally be-
lieved John Van Orsdell, or Arsdale, a sailor, proeuring a number of
cleats, climbed the pole, nailing the cleats as he went, and, tearing
down the British flag, nailed up the stars and stripes in its place.
He died in 183t), and was buried with military honors by the veteran
corps of artillery, of which he was the first lieutenant. His son, David
Van Arsdale, Nov. 25, 1879, aged eighty-four, hoisted the stars and
stripes over the battery, — a ceremony he had performed for many years.
After raising the flag, the veteran proposed " three cheers for our flag,
tln-ee cheers for the day we celebrate, and three more for the wives
and daughters of our country ! " which were given with a will. The
old gentleman was then presented with a portrait of himself, elegantly
framed, and in his endeavor to reply broke down completely.
At the conclusion of the revolutionary struggle on the 28th of
February, 1784, the officers of the line of the Rhode Island conti-
nental battalion presented to the assembly the colors they liad so
gallantly borne, with the following address : —
" To the Honorable the General Assembli/ of the State of Rhode Islaiid and
Providence Plantations :
" The officers of the line of this State beg Uljorty to approach tliis hon-
orable assembly with the warmest gratitude, upon exclianging their military
emplojTQent for the rank of citizens ; the glorious objects of the late con-
troversy with Great Britain being happily accomplished, they resume their
former conditions with a satisfaction peculiar to freemen. If they have de-
served the approbation of their country ; if they have gained the confidence
of the States ; if they have endured hardships and encountered difficulties, —
they feel themselves still indebted for your constant attention in every period
of the war. If their conduct in the iield ; if their wounds, and the blood
of their companions who have nobly fallen by their side, — have entitled them
to any share in the laurels of their countrymen, they are fully rewarded in
surrendering to your Honors, upon this occasion, the standards of their corps,
which have often been distinguished by the bravery of your soldiers upon
the most critical and important occasions. They beg you will be pleased
' Letter of P. T. Barnum, Nov. 22, 1871.
I
FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES. 287
to accept them with their most cordial acknowledgments, and be assured of
the profound deference with which they have the honor to be
" Your most obedient humble servants,
"Jeremiah Olney.
" Pro\idence, Feb. 28, a.d. 1784. In behalf of the officers."
The committee to whom this address was referred prepared the fol-
lowing answer, which the assembly voted should be engrossed in a
fair copy by the secretary, and signed by his excellency the governor
and the honorable the speaker in behalf of the assembly, and pre-
sented by the secretary to Colonel Jeremiah Olney; and that the
standards should be carefully preserved under the immediate care of
the governor, to perpetuate the noble exploits of the brave corps : —
" Gentlemen, — The governor and company, in general assembly con-
vened, with the most pleasing sensations receive your affectionate and
polite address. They congratulate you upon the happy termination of a
glorious war, and upon your return to participate with citizens and free-
men in the blessings of peace. With peculiar satisfaction, they recollect the
bravery and good conduct of the officers of the line of this State, who, after
suffering all the toils and fatigues of a long and bloody contest, crowned
with laurels have reassumed domestic life.
"They are happy in receiving those standards, which have been often
displayed with glory and bravery in the face of very powerful enemies, and
will carefully preserve the same, to commemorate the achievements of so
brave a corps.
"We are, gentlemen, in behaK of both houses of assembly,
"With respect and esteem, your very humble servants,
"William Greene, Governor.
"Feb. 28, A.D. 1784, William Bradford, Speaker.
*' To the Officers of the Line of this State's late Continental Battalion." ^
These colors are preserved in the office of the Secretary of State of
Ehode Island, and from a recent examination of them I obtain the
following description : ^ —
No. 1 is of white silk, ninety inches long and sixty-five inches
wide, and contains thirteen gilt stars in the corner, on a very light
blue ground (probably faded with time). The outline of each star is
marked with a darker shade of blue, with a shadow on the left side,
thereby making the gilt star more prominent. The relative position
of the stars in parallel lines is shown in Fig. 15, Plate V. In the
^ Rhode Island Colonial Records, vol. x. pp. 14, 15.
2 Letters from Hon. J. R. Bartlett, Secretary of State of Rhode Island, Dec. 26, 1871,
and Jan. 4, 1872.
ORIGIN AND PROGRESS OF THE
ceuti-e of the flag is uu anchor and a \nv.cv of rope twining around it,
of light blue silk, the same shade as the blue union, sewed on. Above
the anchor is a scroll painted in oil colors, inscribed " Hope," the
motto of this State. The oil and paint have so rotted the silk that
this part of the flag is gone ; otherwise, save a little of the edge which
is torn and worn away, the flag is entire. At the connnencemcnt of
the War of the Itebellion, tins flag was taken to Washington by the
Second Ehode Island Regiment, but was soon returned.
Flag No. 2 is of white silk, fifty-one inches in width, and its pres-
ent length forty-live inches ; but a portion of the lly is gone, and the
flag is much torn.
It contains a light blue corner or canton of silk sewed on to a
white field of silk. The canton contains thirteen wliite live-pointed
stars or mullets painted on the sUk and arranged in parallel lines as
in No. 1, though not so well formed. In the centre of the field of the
flag, painted on both sides, there is a scroll upon which was painted
" E. Island Eegt." Both these flags are regimental, and not blazoned
with stripes. The date of their presentation to the regiments has not
been preserved.
It has been asserted that IMadame Wooster and Mrs. Roger Sher-
PfAC£ ^>Um.^ Hdvu. A/:A..Jl^^jy^-^
£ey^^^
man gave to the Connecticut troops the first national flag ever used in
that State, and that it was composed of portions of their dresses. Mrs.
Ellet^ says that they made the flag is certain, but it could not have
^ EUet's AVoineu of the American lievolutioii.
I
FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES. 289
been the first one, nor did they heroically rob their own persons to
furnish it. The flag made by them was displayed at New Haven on
the public rejoicing for the peace, and is thus described and illustrated
in the Diary of President Ezra Stiles, of Yale College, preserved in
the college library : —
" April 24, 1783. Public Rejoicing for the Peace in New Haven.
At sunrise 13 cannon discharged in the Green, and the continental
flag displayed, being a grand silk flag presented by the ladies, cost 120
dollars. The stripes red and white, with an azure field in the upper
part charged with 13 stars. On the same field and among the stars
was the arms of the United States, the field of which contained a ship,
a plough, and 3 sheaves of wheat ; the crest an eagle volant ; the sup-
porters two white horses. The arms were put on with paint and
gilding. It took yards. When displayed it appeared well."
It will be seen that the good man's drawing is a rude attempt to
depict the flag, and that it has the Pennsylvania motto, "Virtue,
Liberty, Independence," not mentioned in his description. The fact
being, according to Mrs. EUet, that the ladies, unacquainted with
the arms of the United States adopted the year before, turned in un-
suspecting confidence to a family Bible jpublished in Philadelphia,
and took as their guide the arms emblazoned on its title-page, which
■were those of Pennsylvania. The mistake was rectified when Eoger
Sherman returned from Congress.
Dr. Eodney King, of Eoxboro, Philadelphia, wrote me, in 1875, that
he had in his possession a bill, found among the papers of his grandfather,
the Hon. Daniel Eodney, ex-Governor of the State of Delaware, dated
1783, for "materials for a Continental Flag," one of the items of which
■was " for a piece of Green silk." Was green, excepting for the branches
of a pine-tree, ever any part of a ' continental flag ' ? According to the
' Port Folio,' on the 4th of July, 1807, the Volunteer Company of Eang-
ers of Georgia were presented with an elegant standard, the field of
which was of white lustring, with the accustomed devices, the stripes
formed of alternate green and white, affording a charming contrast.
The words " E Plurihus Unum " above, the " Augusta Volunteer Eang-
ers " below, the eagle, which was incomparably finished, as well as
the stars.
200 OlllGlN AND PROGRESS OF THE
THE STAKS ANP STRirE8, FKOM THE PEACE OF
1783 TO 17U5.
I
» ?
. dVx.aJL WcA-a a>va>0-u<q v/o cl ^
H. W. Longfellow.
The independence of the United States of America having been
recocrnized by Great Britain, the stars and stripes became henceforward
the recognized symbol of a new nation, and their history is an exhibit
of its military, naval, civil, and commercial progress. Many incidents
personal to its history, however, it will be interesting for us to narrate.
It wHl also be our pleasant duty to chronicle its first appearance m
various places, and its progress in peace as weU as its triumphs m
war
The treaty of peace %vith Great Britain was no sooner announced
than the white wings of our commerce began to expand all over the
FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES. 291
watery globe, under the genial union of the stars and stripes, display-
ing them everywhere to the wondering gaze of distant nations and
the furthermost isles of the seas.
The honor of having first hoisted the stars and stripes after the
treaty of peace in a British port has been claimed for several vessels,
and been the occasion of a controversy, in which claimants for ISTew-
buryport, Philadelphia, Nantucket, and New Bedford have taken part.
After a careful examination of the conflicting accounts, I am clearly
of opinion that to the ship Bedford, of Nantucket, Captain William
Mooers, and owned by William Rotch, of New Bedford, must be as-
signed the honor. 1
A London periodical, published in 1783, thus speaks of her arrival
in the Thames : ^ —
" The ship Bedford, Captain Mooers, belonging to Massachusetts,,
arrived in the Downs on the 3d of February, passed Gravesend the 3d,
and was reported at the custom-house on the 6th inst. She was not
allowed regular entry until some consultation had taken place between
the Commissioners of the Customs and the Lords of Council, on account
of the many acts of Parliament in force against the rebels of America.
She was loaded with four hundred and eighty-seven butts of whale
oil, is American built, manned wholly by American seamen, wears the
rebel colors, and belongs to the island of Nantucket, in Massachusetts.
This is the first vessel which has displayed the thirteen rebellious
stripes of America in any British port. The vessel is at Horsledown,
a little below the Tower, and is intended to return immediately to
New England."
In the summary of parliamentary debates in the same magazine,.
under date February 7, —
" Mr. Hamnut begged leave to inform the House of a very recent
and extraordinary event. There was, he said, at the time of his
speaking, an American ship in the Thames, with the thirteen stripes
flying on board. The ship had offered to enter at the custom-house,
but the officers were all at a loss how to behave. His motive for
mentioning the subject was that ministers might take such steps with
the American commissioners as would secure free intercourse between
this country and America."
Another London newspaper of the same date reports the Bedford
1 The Political Magazine. Barnard's History of England (p. 705), a somewhat rare
book, contains the same account. The American and British Chronicle of War and
Politics, under date "Feb. 7, 1783," also records, " First American ship in the Thames,
from Nantucket."
2y2 UKIULN AND I'KtXiKKSS (iF THE
"as the fii*st vessL'l tliat 1ms eiiU'ical the river l)elongiii^f to the Unitetl
States." AuJ an original letter I'roni I'eter Van Schaack, dated Londun,
Feb. 10, 1783, contains this paragraph : " One or two vessels with the
thirteen stripes Hying are now in the river Thames, and their crews
caressed."
The 'Gentleman's Magazine' for 1783 con-oborates these state-
ments, and says : " Monday, Feb. 3, 1783 : Tiou vessels were entered
at the custom-house from Nantucket, an American island near Ilhode
Island ; a third ship is in the river. They are entirely laden with oil,
and come under a pass from Admiral Digby, the inhabitants having
agreed to remain neutral during the war."
In further confirmation of the Bedford's being the first to display
the stars and stripes in the Thames, we have the following letter from
William Rotch, Jr., one of her owners. There is a discrepancy as to
the date of her arrival; but as his letter was written nearly sixty
years after the event he narrates, it may be presumed the contem-
poraneous accounts are right in that respect, and that he is wrong.
" Xkw Bedford, 8th mo. 3d, 1842.
"Dear Friend, — In my reply to thy letter of the 21st ult., received last
evening, according to the best of my recollection, my father had a vessel
built by Ichabod Thomas, at North Eiver, just before the Revolution, for
himself and Champion & Dickasou, of London, for the London trade. After
the war commenced, she laid at jS'antucket several years, until a license was
procured for her to go to London with a cargo of oU, Timothy Folger, com-
mander. Several gentlemen from Boston took passage in her, among Avliom
were the late Governor Winthrop, Thomas K. Jones, . . . Hutchinson, and
some others whose names I do not recollect.
"In 1781, Admiral Digby granted thirty Ucenses for our vessels to go
after whales. I was then connected with my father and I. Rodman in busi-
ness. Considerable oil was obtained in 1782. In the fall of that year, I
went to N'ew York, and procured from Admiral Digby licenses for the Bed-
ford, WUliam Mooers, master, and, I tliink, the Industry, John Chadwick,
master. They loaded. The Bedford sailed first, and arrived in the Downs on
the 23d [3d] of February, the day of the signing of the preliminary treaty of
peace between the United States, France, and England ! and went up to
London, and there displayed for the first time the United States flag. The
Industry arrived afterwards, and was, I suppose, the second to display it.
The widow of George Hayley, who did much business with Xew England,
would visit the old Bedford, and see the flag displayed. She was the sister
of the celebrated John Wilkes.
" We sent the sloop Speedwell to Aux Cayes (St. Domingo). She was
taken and carried into Jamaica, but her captain was released one day after.
FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES. 293
By the treaty, the war ceased in that latitude, and she was released when
she showed the first United States flag there. On her return home, every
thing was very low by the return of peace. "We put on board two hundred
boxes of candles, and with "William Johnson (whose widow, I learned, lives
at Quassi) as supercargo, sent her to Quebec, where hers was the first
United States flag exhibited.
" Should thee -wish any further information within my recollection, I will
freely communicate it.
" I am, with love to thy wife,
" Thy affectionate friend,
" Wm. Eotch, Jun."
The London papers of the 6th notice the Bedford's arrival on
the 3d.
Thomas Kempton, of New Bedford, who was living in 1866, said
the Bedford was built at New Bedford, before the year 1770, probably
by James Lowden, as he was the proprietor of the only ship-yard
there at that time. She was first rigged as a schooner, afterwards
changed to a brig, and finally rebuilt, raised upon, furnished with an
additional deck, and rigged as a sMj). After all these alterations, she
measured only 170 or 180 tons.^ No portrait of her has been pre-
served, and her history, after this notable cruise, is unknown.
The coinciding testimony of these contemporary English periodi-
cals, the discussion in Parliament, the evidence of ' Barnard's History,'
and the statement of one of her owners, make it conclusive that the
Bedford was the first vessel to hoist the stars and stripes in a British
port. The honor has, however, been claimed for the ship United
States, of Boston, owned by John Hancock ; for a Newburyport ship,
the Comte de Grasse, Nicholas Johnson, master ; for the ship William
Penn, of Philadelphia, Captain Josiah ; ^ and for the bark Maria, be-
longing to the owners of the Bedford.
In 18.59, there were three veterans living in Nantucket who re-
membered the Bedford, and who were deeply impressed with her
1 The Bedford returned to Xantiicket and entered at the custom-house, May 31, 1783,
from London. She made a voyage to the Brazils, 1773-76.
The tea-ships whose cargoes were turned into Boston harbor, Dec. 16, 1773, were
freiglited by the Rotches for the East India Company, and "a few years since the
freight for that tea was paid for, every dollar of it, to the said Rotches by the East India
Company, oi London." — Letter of F. C. Sanford, of Nantucket, Oct. 29, 1871.
William Rotch, Jun., died at New Bedford, April 17, 1850.
' A coiTespondent of the ' Philadelj^hia Sunday Dispatch,' December, 1871, says,
that when Captain Josiah displayed the American flag in England, he commanded the
Andrea Doria.
294 nuuiiN AM) i'i;()(;i:i;.s8 of the
tU'iiarture lor Kn-land, whicli, alter tlie siifTeriiii^s of tlie lon<]f aiul dis-
tressing war, set'iiiL'd like scudiny out a harbinger of peace.
The i)reliniinaries of peace were signed on the last of November,
1782, but up to the 21st of .bimiary, ITS.';!, it was only known as a
rumor in the British capital.
The first publication of the terms of the treaty was Jan. 28, 1783,
in a postscript of the London papers, about a week before the arrival
of the Bedford. The king's proclamation was not published until
the loth of February, twelve days after her arrival. The news was
first received in Boston, April 23d, but the treaty was not signed until
September. It is no wonder, then, when the master of the Bedford
appeared and demanded to enter his vessel at the custom-liou.se, with
her cargo of oil, coming from a country and people who were stUl
considered rebels, his appearance created some consternation. That,
under the circumstances, there should have been hesitancy in entering
her was as natural as that her arrival should be noted and remem-
bered.
Captain William Mooers, the master of the Bedford, is traditionally
reported as one of nature's noblemen, and his prowess as a whaleman
is familiar to all who have made themselves acquainted with that haz-
ardous branch of our national enterprise. Erect and commanding in
appearance, standing over six feet, and weighing more than two hun-
dred pounds, he would have been a marked man out of a thousand.
The ]\Iadame Hayley, alluded to in Mr. Botch's letter, was a sister
of John Wilkes, and a valuable friend to Boston and America during
the Revolution. Both she and Mr. Botch were passengers in the
United States (one of the claimants for the Bedford's honors), on her
return from London to Boston, as I found on her log-book, which I
saw and examined in 1865. She was a woman of much energy and
great mercantile endowments. While in Boston, she gave £100
towards building Charlestown Bridge, and was privileged to be the
first person to pass over it when completed.^
1 The first pier of this bridge was laid on the 14th of June, 1785, and the bridge was
thrown open for travel June 17, 1786. It was considered at the time the greatest enter-
prise ever undertaken in America. It was the longest bridge in the world.'and, except
the abutments, was entirely of wood. The architect of the bridge was Captain John
Stone, of Concord ; and Lemuel Cox, an ingenious shipwright, its constnictor. The
opening of this structure upon the anniversary of the battle of Bunker's Hill, and only
eleven years after that event, attracted upwards of twenty thousand spectators. A public
procession was formed, consisting of both branches of the Legislature, the proprietors and
artisans of the bridge, military and civil societies. Salutes were fired from the Castle,
Copp's and Breed's Hill ; and two tables, each three hundred and twenty feet long, were
laid on Breed's Hill, at which eight hundred guests sat down, and prolonged the i'estivi-
FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES. 295
The Maria, a claimant of the Bedford's honors, belonged to the
same owners. Mrs. Farrar, a granddaughter of William Eotch, in her
^ Eecollections of Seventy Years,' says, " I have often heard the old
gentleman [William Rotch] tell, with pride and pleasure, that the
Maria was the first ship that ever unfurled the flag of the United
States in the Thames." ^ Mrs. Farrar has certainly confounded the
Maria with the Bedford, for the Maria was not built until the autumn
of 1782, and was lying at Nantucket when the Bedford was at anchor
in the Downs. Mr. Rotch's letter was in reply to inquiries respecting
the Maria.
The Maria was built at Pembroke, now called Hanson, for a pri-
vateer. According to her register she was eighty-six feet long, twenty-
three feet one inch wide, eleven feet six and a half inches deep, and
measured 202|| tons. She was purchased by Mr. Eotch, and brought
by Captain Mooers to Nantucket, previous to his sailing thence in the
Bedford. On his return from that voyage he took the Maria to Lon-
don with a cargo of oil, and on a subsequent voyage he made in her
the passage from Nantucket to Dover in twenty-one days. His owner
was a passenger on board .^ It is narrated that on the passage Mr.
Eotch, during a storm, became alarmed, and, venturing part way out
of the cabin gangway, said, " Captain Mooers, it woidd be more con-
ducive to our safety for thee to take in some sail, thee had letter do
so ! " To which Captain Mooers replied, " Mr. Eotch, I have under-
taken to carry you to England ; tliere is a comfortable cabin for you ;
I am commander of the ship, and will look to her safety ! " He could
not brook directions even from his owner.
The Maria, under the name of "Maria Pochoco " and the Chilian flag,
continued her cruising in the Pacific until 1870, when a notice of her
springing aleak and foundering at sea was published in the San Fran-
cisco newspapers. At the time of her loss she was in such good con-
dition she bade fair to outlast her century. The flag she first wore,
ties until evening. — See Snow's History of Boston ; Drake's Ancient Landniarks of
Boston, and his Fields and Alansions of Middlesex; also Columbian Centinel, and the Iii-
depe7ident Chronicle. Doubtless the stars and stripes were flying, though no mention is
made of them.
1 Mrs. P. A. Hanaford, in her ' Field, Gunboat, Hospital, and Prison,' perpetuates
Mrs. Farrar's erroneous statement, and makes the further mistake of calling William
Eotch the father of Mrs. Farrar, and the Maria a whale-ship at the time of her voyage to
England. The pride and pleasure of the venerable owner of the Maria were all right, as
he was the owner of the P>edford, and both ships were commanded by Captain Mooers.
2 The Maria, AVilliam Mooers, master, sailed from Nantucket for London, 7th mo.
4th, 1785. William and Benjamin Eotch, the father and brother of William Eotch, .Tun.,
on board as passengers, going to establish the \\hale fishery from an I'jiglish port.
290 ORIGIN AM) l'K(>(;i;i;ss of Till-:
tliough ill shreds, is said to be in existence in Xtiw Jicdlord. In
18r)2, she was hauled upon the Fairhaven railway for repairs, but no
essential improvement or alteration in lier model was ever made.
After her voyaj^^e to London, she was employed in the whale fishery,
and for fifty or sixty years was owned by Samuel liodman, of New
Bedford, and his descendants. Our illustration
represents her as she appeared in. 1851). It is
said there then stood to her credit 8250,000 ;
and she had been of no expense to her
underwriters but once, and then only for a
trilling amount. She made two voyages to the
Pacific within the short space of. -tvvo years, re-
turning each time witli a full cargo of oil. She
concluded her first ^vhaling voyage on the 2Gth of
September, 1795, .and sailed from New Bedford,
"^^^S^^^^^r"^ on her twenty-seventh and last Whaling voyage,
under our flag on the 29th of September, 1859.
The Maria, 1S6"J. ° . . , ' .
On these voyages she is credited with having
taken 24,419 barrels of sperm, and 134 barrels, of whale oil.^ In
1856, Mr. Hardhitch, of Fairhaven, who, sixty-four years before, liad
assisted in making her a suit of sails, was again employed on the same
service for her,. Feb. 24, 1863, she was repaired and sold at Talcahu-
ana, and passed under the Chilian flag, probably to avoid the risk of
her capture by rebel cruisers. Her purchasers, Messrs. Burton &
Trumbull, of Talcahuana, employed her in the coal trade. In July 1,
1866, she was fitted out for Talcahuana, on a whaling voyage, under
command of David Briggs, of Dartmouth, Mass., and foundered in
1870, or, according to another account, was sunk that year in the
harbor of Payta.^ I believe the latter to be correct.
The honor of displaying our flag in England for the first time does
not, however, rest with any vessel, if a painted representation of it can
be considered. In that case, to John Singleton Copley, of Boston,
Mass., the American painter, father of the late Lord Lyndhurst, must
be assigned that honor.
Elkanah Watson, of Philadelphia, a distinguished patriot and phi-
lanthropist, relates in his ' Eeminiscences ' that, at the close of our
revolutionary struggle, having on the occasion of Lord Howe's relief
of Gibraltar received one hundred guineas as the result of a wager,
1 A detailed statement of tliese voyages, with the names of her commanders from
1795 to 1856, can be found in Ricketson's ' History of Xew Bedford.'
^ Boston Advertiser, July 14, 1870.
^^-^,,
FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES. 297
and the same day dining with Copley, he resolved to devote that sum
to a portrait of himself. The painting was finished all but the back-
ground, that being reserved by Copley to represent a ship bearing
to America intelligence of the acknowledgment of independence, — a
rising sun gilding the stars and stripes of the new-born nation stream-
ing from her gaff. All was completed save the flag, which the painter
did not think it prudent to insert, as his gallery was a constant
resort of the royal family and nobility. I dined, says Watson, with
the artist on the glorious 5th of December, 1782, after listening with
him to the speech of the king formally receiving and recognizing the
United States of America as one of the nations of the earth. Previous
to dining, and immediately after our return from the House of Lords,
Copley invited us into his studio, and there and then, with a bold hand,
master touch, and American heart, attached to the ship the stars
and stripes. Thus, while the words of acknowledgment were still
warm from the king's lips, the late rebel, but henceforth free colors,
were displayed in his own kingdom, and within a few rods of his own
palace.^
In the grand federal procession in Philadelphia, July 4, 1788, to
celebrate the Declaration of Independence and the establishment of
the Constitution, among the numerous flags carried was one of white
silk, having three fleurs-de-lis and thirteen stars in the union, over
the words, Sixth of Feb., 1778, in honor of the French alliance.
The calico printers' flag had in the centre thirteen stars in a blue
field, and thirteen red stripes in a white field, surrounded by an edge
of thirty-seven prints of various colors, and the motto, "May the
Union govcrnnunt protect the manufacturers of America ! " The
merchants and traders carried the flag of a merchant ship ; in the
union were ten illuminated stars, and three traced round in silver, but
not yet illuminated. There were also other devices on the flag.
When Washington passed through Philadelphia, April 20, 1789,
en route to ISTew York, to assume the office of President, he was re-
ceived with distinguished honors. In the river were boats gayly
adorned with ensigns, " among which was what was then a novelty,
— an American jack which bore eleven stars," representing the eleven
1 Life and Reminiscences of Elkanali Watson. 8vo. Through the kindness of D. Ap-
pleton & Co. we are able to give an engraving of this historic portrait, whicli was attached
to the * Reminiscences.' Greville, in his 'Memoirs,' relates that at a naval review the
Duke of Richmond, who hated George III., when Lord Lieutenant of Sussex, during the
American war, sailed in a yacht through the fleet where the king was, with American
colors at his masthead. The date of this transaction is not given, and it is not certain
the stars and stripes were the American colors hoisted.
298 oKiiiiN AM) rKu(:;iiE8.s UK iiii;
States whicli liad at tliat time ratified the Con.stitution. On the cen-
tre <»f the lloating bridge at flrey's Ferry wa.s raised an American
onsign ; and on another part of the bridge was a high pole, which
bore a striped liberty cap urnamented with stars, and beneath it a blue
flag, witli the device ot" a rattlesnake, and motto, " Don't tread on iiic."
Amid many conllicting claims, there seems little doubt that to the
^iiip Empress, of China, oGO tons, Captain John (Ireen, the honor be-
longs of being the iirst vessel to carry our Hag into the Chinese sea.
She sailed from New York on the l'2d of February, 1784, touched
at Cape de Verde on her outward voyage, arrived at ^Macao August
23, and at Whampoa August 28, where she saluted the shipjiing
witli thirteen guns. On the 13th of September she was visited with
great ceremony by the Hoppo, or chief of customs, who was saluted with
nine guns on his arriving on board, and thirteen guns on his leaving the
ship. She returned to Xew York the 11th of May, 1785, having made
the round voyage in less than fifteen months.-^ She was wrecked olf
Dul)]iu Bay, Feb. 22, 1791, then bearing the name of ' Clara.' '^
When the thirteen stripes and stars first appeared at Canton much
curiosity was excited among the people. News was circulated that a
strange ship had arrived from the farther end of the world, bearing a
flag as beautiful as a fiower. Everybody went to see the Fav-lxe-
cheun, or flower-flag ship. This name at once established itself in the
language, and America is now called Favj-kce-koJi, the flower-flag
country, and an American, Fcao-kce-koch-yin, flower-flag country man,
— a more complimentary designation than that of red-headed barba-
rian, the name first bestowed on the Dutch.
Foreign names, however unmeaning originally, when written in
Chinese acquire a significance wdiich is often strikingly curious. Thus,
the two Chinese characters, Yonrj-kee (Yankee), signify the flag of the
ocean, and "Washington, or Wo-shinrj-tung, as it would be written, sig-
nifies rescue and glory at last.^
The young prefect of I-ton-hien said : " We call the In-ki-li (Eng-
lish) ' Hounrj-mao-jin' that is, 'men of red hair,' because it is said
they have hair of that color ; and we give to the Ya-mchj-kien (Amer-
icans) the name of the ' men of the flower banner,' because they carry
at the masts of their vessels a flag striped with various colors, and
from the resemblance of the stars to the blossoms of the plum-tree." *
The ship Franklin, of Salem, Captain James Devereaux, is believed
to have been the first to carry our flag to Japan. Slie sailetl from
1 Shaw's Journal. 2 Xew York Evening Gazette of April 2, 1791.
* American newspaper. * M. Hue's Journey tlirougli the Chinese Empire.
FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES. 299
Boston Dec. 11, 1798, arrived at Batavia April 28, 1799, reached
Japan July 19, 1799, and arrived home May 20, 1800. Her log-book
is preserved in the library of the Essex Institute at Salem.
The second vessel to carry our flag direct to Eastern seas was the
appropriately named sloop Enterprise, Captain Stewart Dean, a little
sloop-rigged vessel of eighty tons, built at Albany, X. .Y., and like the
ordinary Xorth Eiver craft. She sailed in 1785, and returned home
within the year. The English factory at Canton, notwithstanding the
jealousies and interests of trade, struck with the boldness of the ex-
periment, received these adventurers with kindness and hospitality.
The next vessel to make the adventure to China was the Canton,
of Philadelphia, Captain Thomas Truxton, which sailed from that port
early in 1786, and returned to the same port May, 1787, after a suc-
cessful voyage. Congi^ess granted a sea-letter to this vessel, which
was addressed to the " Most serene and most puissant, high, illustri-
ous, noble, honorable, venerable, wise, and prudent emperors, kings,
republics, princes, dukes, earls, barons, lords, burgomasters, counsellors,
as also judges, officers, justiciaries, and regents of all the good cities and
places, whether ecclesiastical or secular, who shall see these presents
or hear them read," — which would seem to be sufficiently compre-
hensive for her protection.
The frigate Alliance, the last of the continental frigates retained
by government, was sold at Philadelphia, June, 1785, and converted
into an Indiaman. She sailed from Philadelphia for Canton in June,
1785, owned by Eobert Morris, and under command of Captain
Thomas Keed, and was the second vessel from Philadelphia to China.
She returned to Philadelphia Sept. 17, 1788. The AUiance, taking
soundings off the Cape of Good Hope, steered southeast and encircled
all the eastern and southern islands of the Indian Ocean. Passing the
south cape of New Holland in the course northward to Canton, between
the latitudes of 7° and 4° S., and between longitudes 156° and 162° E.,
they discovered a number of islands, the inhabitants of which were
black, and had woolly, curled hair. The islands were also inhabited
by brown people, with straight black hair. Captain Reed belie\ed
himself to be the discoverer of these islands, and named the principal
one Morris Island, and another Alliance Island.^
The honor of being the first to carry our flag around the world is
1 In 1786, at an entertainment given to the Americans by the Portuguese residents
of llacao, at dessert the tables were ornamented with gilded paper castles, pagodas,
and other Chinese edifices, in which were confined numerous small birds. The first
toast was "Liberty" and at the word the dooi-s of these paper prisons were set open and
tlie little captives released, and, flying about in every direction, seemed to enjoy tlieiv
liberty. — SJiaid's Journal.
300 OKKJIN AM) I'l.MXJKKSS OF THE
assi'Mied to the auspiciously and ai»i»r(>pnately named ship Cohunbia,
^vhiuh, under command of ("a])tains Keiidrick and tliay, circumnavi-
gated tlie glol.e in 1780-VtU.i
The Columbia, Captain John Kendrick, and sloop Washington, Cap-
tiiin Robert CJray, sailed from Boston Se\)t. 30, 1787, and proceeded to
the Cape de Verde, and thence to the Falkland Islands. January, 1788,
they doubled Cape Horn, and immediately after were separated in a
violent gale. The Washington, continuing her course through the
racific, made the northwest coast in August near latitude 4G° N.
Here Captain Gray thought he perceived indications <jf the mouth of
a river, but was unable to ascertain the fact, in consequence (»f his
vessel grounding and his being attacked by savages. With the loss
of one man killed and the mate wounded, the Washington arrived at
Nootka Sound on the 17th of September, where, some days later, she
was joined by the Columbia.
The two vessels spent the winter in the Sound ; and the Columbia
lay there during the following summer, while Captain Gray, in the
Washington, explored the adjacent waters. On his return to Nootka,
it was agreed by the two captains that Kendrick should take com-
mand of the sloop and remain upon the coast, while Captain Gray, in
the Columbia, should carry to Canton the furs which had been col-
lected by both vessels. This was done ; and Gray arrived on the Gth
of December at Canton, where he sold his furs, and took a cargo of
tea, with which he entered Boston on the 10th of August, 1790, hav-
ing carried the thirteen stars and thirteen stripes for the first time
around the world.^
Kendrick, immediately on parting with the Columbia, proceeded with
the Washington to the Straits of Fuca, which he sailed through to its
issue in the Pacific in latitude 51° K To him belongs the credit of as-
certaining that Nootka and the parts adjacent are an island, to which
the name of ' Vancouver Island ' has since been given. Vancouver was
tlie British commander who followed in the track of the Americans
a year later. The injustice done to Kendrick is but one of many simi-
lar instances, — the greatest of all being that our continent bears the
name, not of Columbus or Cabot, but of a subsequent navigator.
Captain Kendrick, during the time occupied by Gray on his return
voyage, besides collecting furs, engaged in various speculations, one of
1 Bulfinch's Oregon and Eldorado.
2 " I find the ship Columbia has been aiTived some days. The concerned in that en-
terprise have sunk fifty per cent of their capital. This is a heavy disappointment to them,
as they calculated every owner to make an independent fortune." — MS. Letter, General
Henry Jackson, dated Boston, 22d August, 1790.
1
FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES. 301
which was the collection and transportation to China of sandal-wood,
which grows on many of the tropical islands of the Pacific, and is in
great demand throughout the Celestial Empire for ornamental fabrics
and medicinal purposes.
Captain Kendrick was killed in exchanging salutes with a Spanish
vessel at the Sandwich Islands. The wad from one of the Spaniard's
»uns struck him as he stood on the deck of his vessel in his dress-
coat and cocked hat, as the commander of the expedition, and was
instantly fatal.
The Columbia, as has been stated, returned to Boston under
the command of Gray. Her cargo of Chinese articles did not cover
the expense of the voyage ; nevertheless, her owners refitted her for a
similar cruise. Again, under the command of Gray, she sailed from
Boston on the 28th of September, 1790, and arrived at Clyoquot, near
the Straits of Fuca, June 5, 1791. There and in neighboring waters
she remained through the following summer and winter, trading with
the natives and exploring. Early in 1792, Gray sailed on a cruise
southward along the coast, bent on ascertaining the truth of the ap-
pearances which on his former voyage led him to suspect the exist-
ence of a river discharging its waters at or about the latitude of 46°.
During this cruise he met with Vancouver. On the 29th of April,
Vancouver writes in his journal: "At four o'clock, a sail was dis-
covered at the westward, standing in shore. This was a very great
novelty, not having seen any vessel but our consort during the last
eight months. She soon hoisted American colors, and fired a gun to
leeward. At six we spoke her. She proved to be the ship Columbia,
commanded by Captain Eobert Gray, belonging to Boston, whence she
had been absent nineteen months. I sent two of my officers on board
to acquire such information as might be serviceable in our future
operations. Captain Gray informed them of his having been off' the
mouth of a river, in latitude of 46° 10 north, for nine days ; but the
outset or reflux was so strong as to prevent his entering."
Vancouver gave no credit to Captain Gray's statement, and re-
marks : " I was thoroughly persuaded, as were most persons of observa-
tion on board, that we could not have passed any safe navigable
opening, harbor, or place of security for shipping, from Cape Men-
docino to Luca's Strait."
After parting with the English ship, Gray sailed along the coast
southward, and on the 7th of May, 1792, " saw an entrance which had
a very good appearance of a harbor." Passing through this entrance,
he found himself in a bay, " well sheltered from the sea by long sand-
302
OKKUN AM* I'KocKKSS OF THK
bai*s and spits," vlioro he remained three ihiys tiiuUiiL; with the na-
tives, and then resumed his voyage, Ijestuwing on tlie place thus
discovered the name of ' Ihilliiicli's TIarhor,' in h(jnor of one of the
owners of the ship. This is now knnwn as ' (Iray's Harbor.'
At daybreak on the 11th, after leaving liulfinch's Harlwr, Gray
observeil the entrance of his desired jjort, bearing east-soutlieast,
distant six leagues, and running into it with all sails set, between the
breakers, he anchored at one o'clock in a large river of fresh water
ten miles above its mouth. At this spot he remained three day.s,
engaged in trading with the natives and filling his casks with water ;
and then sailed up the river al)Out twelve miles along its northern
shore, where, finding lie could proceed no farther, from having taken
the wrong channel, he came to anchor. On the 20th, he recrossed the
liar at the mouth of the river and regained the Pacific.
On leaving the river, Gray gave it the name of his ship, the
Columbia, the name it still bears. He called the southern point of
land at the entrance ' Cape Adams,' and the northern, ' Cape Hancock.'
The first of these retains its name on our maps, but the latter prom-
ontory is known as ' Cape Disappointment,' a name given to it by
Lieutenant Meares, an English navigator, who, like Captain Gray,
judged from appearances there was the outlet of a river at that point,
but failed finding one, and so recorded his failure in the name of this
conspicuous headland, which marked the place of his fruitless search.
From the mouth of Columbia, Gray sailed to Nootka Sound, where
he communicated his discoveries to the Spanish commandant, Quadra ;
to whom he also gave charts, Nvith descriptions of Bulfincli's Harbor
and the mouth of the Columbia. He departed for Canton in Septem-
ber, and sailed thence for the United States.
The following medal was struck in commemoration of these events.
The voyages of Kendrick and Gray were not profitable to the ad-
venturers, yet of benefit to the country. They opened the way to
FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES. 303
enterprises in the same region which were eminently successful. In
another point of view, these expeditions were fraught with conse-
quences of the utmost importance. Gray's discovery of the Columbia
was the point most relied upon by our negotiators for establishing the
claim of the United States to the part of the continent through whicli
it flows ; and it is in a great measure owing to his discovery that the
State of Oregon is now a part of the American Eepublic.
From the date of the discovery of the Columbia Eiver to the war
of 1812-14, the direct trade between the American coast and China
was almost entirely in the hands of citizens of the United States.
The British merchants were restrained from pursuing it by the oppo-
sition of their East India Company ; the Eussians were not admitted
into Chinese ports, and few ships of any other nation were seen in
that part of the ocean.^
The whaling-ship Washington, of Nantucket, under command of
Captain George Bunker, was the first to show the American flag in a
Spanish Pacific port.
About a year after the Columbia had completed her voyage around
the world, in the summer of 1791, six ships, three of them new and
three old, were sent out from Nantucket to cruise for whales in that
ocean. All sailed under the new-born " Plag of the free." The new
ships were the Bearce, Hector, and Washington ; the old, the Ee-
becca, Favorite, and Warren. None of them exceeded two hundred
and fifty tons in burthen, and all were heavy, dull sailers, without
copper on their bottoms, and poorly and scantily fitted ; but they were
manned by men of an iron nerve and an energy that knew no turnino-.
They all passed around Cape Horn, and a part went down the coast
while the others remained on the coast of Chili.
The Washington went to Callao, on the coast of Peru, and on the
4th of July, 1792, two months after the discovery of the Columbia
Eiver by Gray, displayed the stars and stripes in that port. Lying
there was an English whaling vessel, and a French brig, both manned
by Nantucket men, who assisted Captain Bunker in his commemora-
tion of the day .2
In 1790, a rather singular incident in connection with the stars and
stripes happened at Londonderry, in Ireland. Mr. Lemuel Cox, who
had gained considerable reputation as tlie builder of the bridge con-
necting Boston with Charlestown, Mass.,^ went to England, where he
1 Bulfnich's Oregon and Eldorado, and Vancouver's Voyage. The Spanish silver
dollars with which the trade was conducted received the name of ' Boston dollars ' from
tlie natives, a name they are still known by.
2 Letter, F. C. Sanford, of Nantucket. 8 See ante, p. 293.
304 oKKJiN AND n{(K;KKss or tiik
contracted for and liuilt sevend bridges on the same general plan ;
among others, for a l)ridge across the Foyle, at Lomlonderry, where
the river was near one thousand feet widi', sukI the water forty feet
dee]) at high water, — an engineering feat which had been pronounced
by English engineers impracticable. However, with twenty ]>ostoiii-
ans and a few laborers Mr. Cox set to work and comi)leted this
bridge, consisting of fifty-eight arches, all (jf American oak, in four
months. Not a log of the wood was imported belbre the 1st of May,
and the bridge was completed in Novemljer. The cost was about
£15,000.1
" The bridge being completed, or nearly s(3, on the 22d of November,
1790, Mr. Cox gave the people leave to pass over free, in order to save
them the expense of ferriage ; and the first day that persons were
admitted to pass over, with the consent of the authorities he hoisted
the American iiag in the midst of it, without the smallest inten-
tion of giving the least offence. This proceeding was looked upon
by every person in an innocent point of view, until about four o'clock
in the afternoon, wlien detachments from the Fortieth Eegiment,
under the command of the mayor, marched to the bridge, and a
desperate affray ensued, the American flag flying all the time. The
workmen were all Bostonians, who, in the very teeth of the magis-
tracy and soldiery, cut, with tlieir axes, the entrance to the bridge
open, in order to let the people pass. Three men, viz. Cunning-
ham, of Dollartown, a master weaver, Alexander Eeed, weaver,
and McLaughlin, a laborer, were killed, and several severely
wounded. During the whole action the army fought under the thir-
teen stripes ; and, what is very extraordinary, an officer fired the first
shot." 2
This was undoubtedly the first action fought in Ireland under the
stars and stripes, and probably the last. IVIr. Cox was taken to the
jail for safe-keeping from the fury of the populace, and that the dis-
turbance lasted several days is evident from the following notice
issued by the mayor three days later: —
1 Britisli Chronicle or Union Gazette, Kelso, Oct. 15, 1790.
Murray's Handbook of Ireland .says : "It was a gi-eat curiosity, being 1,068 feet long
and 40 feet wide, and laid on oak piles, the pieces of which were 16 feet asunder,
bound together by thirteen string pieces equally divided and transversely bolted. It is
now superseded by a new bridge, costing £100,000, which serves both for the Northern
Counties Railway and a public road. In Hall's Ireland, vol. ill. ]). 212, ('o.x'.s bridge is
described, and a view of it given.
2 Independent Chronicle and Universal Advertiser, March 17, 1791, and Coliuiibiaii
Centinel, March 19, 1791, under heading ' Londonilerry,' Nov. 23, 1790.
FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES. 305
"Common Hall.
" The mayor requests the citizens of 'Derry may meet him this day at
twelve o'clock, in the town-hall, in order to consider of such measures as
may be deemed necessary to maintain the laws, and preserve the public tran-
quillity.
"Tuesday Morxixg, Nov. 25, 1790."
The cause of the riot is not so clear, as there are several versions
of it, though all agree that the American flag was hoisted over the
bridge, and in the number of killed and wounded. It seems to have
"been an Irish shindy. The ' Columbian Centinel,' in commenting
upon it, says : " Upon inquiry, we find Mr. Cox received orders from
the mayor and corporation of 'Derry to open the bridge on the day
mentioned, for the benefit of the people, and, as the workmen and
timber were American, permitted him to display upon the bridge the
American flag. The novelty of these circumstances drew together a
large concourse of people. The watermen who were thus thrown out
of business, collected in numbers to oppose the passing and repassing
-of the people ; this occasioned a fracas," &c}
Later, the Centinel contains extracts from an English paper, assign-
ing the following as the causes of the disturbances, and which probably
is a correct accoimt of them. " From the day that the communication
was opened by means of the bridge, an idea prevailed among the lower
orders of the people that the passage was to be entirely free, and that
no toll would be exacted. . . . For the first week, the corporation
did not think it necessary to assert their right, and permitted a free
passage. Unfortunately, this indulgence was misconstrued, and the
populace confirmed in their opinion that there was no power to oblige
them to pay toll. Under this idea, when the gate was erected for the
purpose of collecting toll, the multitude, as they came to market, were
discontented, and many, heated with liquor, refused to pay any toU
The mayor, sheriff, and several magistrates endeavored to persuade
them from their illegal opposition ; but the numbers increased, and
they boldly proceeded down the toU-gate in spite of the magistrates,
who were obliged to caU for a guard of soldiers, and, the riot increas-
ing, to bring to their support nearly the whole of the Fortieth Regiment.
Tlie military, charging their bayonets, drove the rioters across the
bridge to the water-side, but they had no sooner got upon the street
than they turned about and gave battle to the soldiers with repeated
volleys of stones and brickbats. Again the magistrates entreated the
1 Columbian Ceritinel, March 19, 1791.
20
30G (iKIClN AM) rUoiiUKSS OF Till-:
rioters to disperse, ami warned tliein (if the fatal conse(|uences of their
outmges ; but they continued the attack. At first, the military were
ordered to fire in the air, then at the to[)S of houses ; but the desper-
ation of the mob increasing, the soldiers were ordered to level their
muskets. About five in the evening the mob dispersed." ^
^Ir. Cox returned to the United States, where he pursued liis me-
chanical tastes, and in 179G was granted one thousand acres of land
in Maine by the legislature of Massachusetts, for his various inven-
tions, and died at Charlestown, Mass., Feb. 18, 180G. The rude wood-
cut at the head of the ' broadside ' circulated at the opening of the
Charlestown bridge was executed " by that masterpiece of ingenuity,
Mr. Lemuel Cox." ^
On Monday, May 2, 1791, H. B. M. ship Alligator, 28, Isaac Coffin,
Esq., commander, from Halifax, arrived at Boston, and on passing the
Castle saluted the flag of the United States with thirteen guns, which
was immediately returned by the fortress. " This mutual attention in
powers," says the ' Columbian Centinel,' "who w^ere lately hostile to each
other, shows the superior liberality of the age in which we live, and
proclaims to the world the verification of that memorable instru-
ment, the Declaration of Independence, in which our political fathers
declared that they ' should hold the king and subjects of Great Britain
as they did the rest of the workl, — enemies in war ; in peace,
friends.' " ^
This was probably the first salute in Boston to our flag by a British
vessel of war, and it will be observed her commander was an Ameri-
can by birth. The vessel had recently left England, only stopping at
Halifax on her passage out.
FIFTEEN STARS AND FIFTEEN STRIPES.
1795-1818.
Early in 1794, in consequence of the admission of Vermont,
March 4, 1791, and Kentucky, June 1, 1792, into the sisterhood of
the Union, an act was passed increasing the stars and stripes on our
flag from thirteen to fifteen, but not to take effect until ]\Iay, 1795.
The act for this alteration originated in the Senate, and when it
i Columbian Centinel, April 2, 1791. Letter from LondondeiTy, Nov. 30, 1790.
2 See Francis S. Drake's American Biogi-apliical Dictionary, and Samuel Adams Drake's
Historic Fields and Mansions of Middlesex.
^ Columbian Centinel, May 3, 1791.
FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES. 307
came down to the House was the occasion of considerable debate and
opposition, illustrating the temper of the time as well as the design of
the flag.
" Jan. 7, 1794. The House resolved itself into a committee of the
whole House on the bill sent from the Senate, entitled, 'An Act
making an alteration in the flag of the United States.'
" Mr. Goodhue thought it a trifling business, which ought not to
engross the attention of the House, when it was its duty to discuss
matters of infinitely greater consequence. If we alter the flag from
thirteen to fifteen stripes, and two additional stars, because Vermont
and Kentucky have been added, we may go on adding and altering at
this rate for one hundred years to come. It is very likely before
fifteen years elapse we shall consist of twenty States. The flag ouglit
to be permanent."
In almost literal fulfilment of this opinion, when the flag was re-
modelled, in 1818, twenty-four years later, the new union contained
twenty stars, representatives of as many States.
" Mr. Lyman differed in opinion with Mr. Goodhue. He thought it
of the greatest importance not to offend new States.
" Mr. Thatcher ridiculed the idea of being at so much trouble on a
consummate piece of frivolity. At this rate, every State should alter
its public seal when an additional county or township was formed.
He was sorry to see the House take up their time with such trifles.
"Mr. Greenup considered it of very great consequence to inform
the rest of the world we had added two additional States.
" Mr. Niles was very sorry such a matter should for a moment have
hindered the House from going into more important matters. He did
not think the alteration either worth the trouble of adopting or reject-
ing, but he supposed the shortest way to get rid of it was to agree to
it ; and for that reason, and no other, he advised to pass it as soon as
possible."
The committee having agreed upon the alteration, the chairman
reported the bill, and the House took it up.
" Mr. Boudinot said he thought it of consequence to keep the citi-
zens of Vermont and Kentucky in good humor. They might be
affronted at our rejecting the bill.
" Mr. Goodhue, continuing his opposition, said he felt for the honor
of the House when spending their time in such sort of business ; ^ but
since it must be passed, he had only to beg as a favor that it might
1 What would he say to tlie business habits of our modern Congresses, and the time
wasted in frivolous debates and buncombe sjieeches.
308 (IKICIN AM) I'KoCKKSS oK TlIK
not appear upuu the juuinal and '^o iiiUj the world as the first bill
passed this session.
"Mr. Madisou was ior the bill passing.
" Mr. Giles thought it proper that the idea should Ijc preserved of
the number of our States and the number of stripes corresponding.
The expense was but trifling, compared with that ul" forming the gov-
ernment of a new State.
" Mr. Smith said that this alteration would cost liim live hundred
dollars, and every vessel in the Union sixty dollars. He could not
conceive what the Senate meant by sending tliem such bills. He
supposed it was for want of something better to do. He sliould in-
dulge them, but let us have no more alterations of the sort. Let the
flag be permanent."
The bill thus debated was finally passed and approved on the 13th
day of January, 1794. It was the first bill completed at that session
of Congress, and reads as follows : —
" Be it enacted, <i-c., That from and after the first day of May, one
thousand seven hundred and ninety-five, the flag of the United States
be fifteen stripes, alternate red and white ; that the union be fifteen
stars, white in a blue field."
The same Congress, on the 27th of March, 1794, authorized the
building of the frigate Constitution and five other frigates, the com-
mencement of a new navy. The new flag floated over her and all of
our vessels of war throughout the war of 1812-14.
"When Mr. Monroe, the United States minister, presented his cre-
dentials on the 14th of August, 1794, to the French Eepublic, and
communicated to the National Convention the wish of his fellow-citi-
zens for the prosperity of the nation, the convention, on the report of
the Committee of Public Safety, to whom his credentials had been re-
ferred, decreed that he should be introduced into the bosom of the
convention, and the president should give him the fraternal embrace,
as a symbol of the friendship which united the American and French
people.
In the National Convention, Aug. 15, 1794, the discussions on the
organization of the several committees \vere commenced, but the de-
liberation was soon after interrupted by the arrival of the minister
plenipotentiary from the United States. He was conducted into the
centre of the hall, and the secretary read the translation of his dis-
course and credential letters, signed by George Washington, President
of the United States, and Edmund liandolph. Secretary of State, at
Philadelphia, May 28. The reading of this was accompanied by
FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES. 309
repeated snouts of " Vive la Bepuhlique ! Vive les Bepubliques ! and
unusual acclamations of applause." The discourse was ordered to be
printed in the French and American languages, and was, in part, as
follows : —
" Among other things, Mr. Monroe observed that as a certain proof
of the great desire of his countrymen for the freedom, prosperity, and
happiness of the French Republic, he assured them that the Conti-
nental Congress had requested the President to make known to them
this sentiment, and while acting agxeeably to the desire of the two
Houses, the President enjoined him to declare the congeniality of his
sentiment with theirs."
The secretary then read the letter of credentials, and the president
of the convention replied : —
" The French people have never forgotten that they owe to the
Americans the imitation of liberty. They admired the sublime insur-
rection of the American people against Albion of old, so proud and
now so disgraced. They sent their armies to assist the Americans,
and in strengthening the independence of that country, the French,
at the same time, learned to break the sceptre of their own tyranny,
and erect a statue of liberty on the ruins of a throne founded upon
the corruption and the crimes of fourscore centuries."
The President proceeded to remark " that the alliance between the
two republics was not merely a diplomatic transaction, but an alliance
of cordial friendship." He hoped that this alliance would be indisso-
luble, and prove the scourge of tyrants and the protection of the rights
of man. He observed how differently an American ambassador would
have been received in France six years before, by the usurper of the
liberty of the people ; and how much merit he would have claimed
for ha\ing graciously condescended to take the United States under
his protection. "At this day," he said, " it is the sovereign people
itself, represented by its faithful deputies, that receives the ambassador
with real attachment, while affected mortality (?) is at an end." He
longed to crown it with the fraternal embrace. " I am charged," said
he, " to give it in the name of the nation. Come and receive it in the
name of the American nation, and let tliis scene destroy tlie last hope
of the impious coalition of tyrants."
The President then gave the fraternal kiss and embrace to the
minister, and declared that he recognized James Monroe in tliis
quality.
" It was then decreed, on the motion of Mons. Bayle, that the colors
of both nations should be suspended at the vault of tlie hall, as a sign
:;i() (iKHiiN AM) i'K(m;ui:s.s or iiii-:
of pi'iiR'timl allianre ami uiiiitn." The Minister took liis seat on the
mouutjiin un tlie left •»!' the rresident, and received the fraternal kiss
fmni si'veral deputies. The sitting of the convention was suspended.
On the 25 Fructidor (Septemlier 2r)th), about a niontli after this
scene, the President " Bkrn.vkd of Saints " announced to the conven-
tion the receipt of a stand of colors by the hands of an ollicer of the
United States from tlie minister plenipotentiary of the United States,
to be placed in the hall of the National Convention at the side of the
French colors, accompanied by the ibllowing letter : —
" The Minister of the United States of America to the President (f the
National Convention :
"Citizen President, — The convention having decreed that the colors
of the American and French republics should be united and stream together
in the place of its sittings, as a testimony of the union and friendsliip wliich
ought to subsist for ever between the two nations, I thouglit that I could not
better manifest the deep impression which this decree has made on me, and
express the thankful sensations of my constituents, than by procuring their
colors to be carefully executed, and in offering them in the name of the
American people to the representatives of the French nation.
" I have had them made in the form lately decreed by Congress [fifteen
stripes and fifteen stars], and have trusted them to Captain Barney, an offi-
cer of distinguished merit, who has rendered us great services by sea, in tlie
course of our revolution. He is charged to present and to deposit tliem on
the spot which j^ou shall judge proper to appoint for tliem. Accept, citizen
president, this standard as a new pledge of the sensibility with wluch the
American people always receive the interest and friendship which their good
and brave allies give them ; as also of the pleasure and ardor witli which they
seize every opportunity of cementing and consolidating the union and good
understanding between the two nations."
Captain Barney being ordered to be admitted, entered the bar with
the standard, amidst universal shouts of applause, which also accom-
panied the reading of Mr. Monroe's letter.
In delivering the standard, Captain Barney said : —
" CiTiZEX President : Having been directed by the minister plen-
ipotentiary of the United States of America to present the National
Convention the flag asked of him, — the flag under the auspices of
■which I have had the honor to fight against our common enemy dur-
ing the M-ar which has assured liberty and independence, — I discharge
the duty with the most lively satisfaction, and deliver it to you.
Henceforth, suspended on the side of that of the French Republic, it
will become the symbol of the union which subsists between the two
1
FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES. 311
nations, and last, I hope, as long as the freedom which they have so
bravely acquired and so wisely consolidated."
A member said : " The citizen who has just spoke at the bar is one
of the most distinguished sea-officers of America. He has rendered
great service to the liberty of his country, and he could render the
same to the liberty of France. I demand that this observation be
referred to the examination of the Committee of Public Safety, and
that the fraternal embrace be given to this brave officer."
Tliis proposition was received with applause. Several voices cried,
" The fraternal embrace ! " which was decreed ; and Barney went up to
the chair of the President and received the fraternal embrace, amidst
unanimous acclamation and applause. The fraternal embrace con-
sisted of a hug, and a kiss upon each cheek. A member arose in his
place (a Matthieu) and proposed that their new brother, citoyen Bar-
ney, should be employed in the navy of the republic. The resolution
passed unanimously ; but Barney was at the time, from his other en-
gagements, obliged to decline the honor. Subsequently he received
and accepted the rank of capitaine de vaisseau clu premier, and a com-
mission as chef de division des armees navales, answering to the rank
of commodore in our service.
When the grand ceremony decreed by the ISTational Convention in
honor of Jean Jacques Rousseau, on depositing his remains in the
Pantheon, took place, Mr. Monroe and all the Americans at Paris
were especially invited to be present. The population of Paris united
in one moving mass to honor them. The urn containing the ashes of
Jean Jacques was placed on a platform erected over the centre of the
basin of the principal jet d'ecm in the Garden of the Tuileries, where
it remained until the procession was formed and prepared to advance ;
it was then taken down, and, surrounded by the trappings of mourn-
ing, removed to the place assigned it in the procession. The Ameri-
can minister, and the citizens of the United States who accompanied
him, were placed immediately in front of the members of the National
Convention, who appeared in official costumes. The American flag,
so recently presented to the convention by Mr. Monroe, borne by
Captain Joshua Barney and a nephew of Mr. Monroe, preceded the
column of Americans, an honor which the National Convention ap-
pointed to them. A tricolored cordon, supported by the orphan
sons of revolutionary soldiers, " les eleves de la nation," crossed the
front, and led down each flank of the two columns composed of
Americans and the members of the National Convention. These
youths were dressed in blue jackets and trousers, and scarlet vests,
and were several hundreds in number. The procession moved from
:;rj okkjix ani> 1"i;(>(;ki;ss ok iiik
the rahue ol" the Tuilcries down the piiiieiiml avenue of the ^'arden,
to the Place de la Revolution, thence, by the boulevards, through Rue
St. Honore and other principal streets to the Pont Neuf, and thence
to the Pantheon. The window.s of every hou.se from top to bottom,
on either hand, throughout the whole extent of the march, were
crowdeil with full-dressed females waving handkerchiefs and small
tricolored flags, while from every story of each house a large flag of
the same description permanently projected. The distance from the
Palace of the Tuileries to the Pantheon, computing the meandering
of the procession, was about two miles. Arrived at the Pantheon,
Mr. Monroe and his suite were the only persons pei-niitted to enter
the National Convention, to witness the conclusion of the ceremony.^
It is a little singular that, after all these ceremonies, Mr. Monroe
omitted to make any mention of tliem in his ofticial despatches. In a
postscript to a despatch to the Secretary of State, dated March 6, 1795,^
six mouths after these occurrences, he says he had " forgotten to notify
him otticially of his having presented the French National Convention
with our flag," and adds : " It was done in consequence of an order of its
body, for its suspension in its halls, and an intimation from the Presi-
dent himself that they had none, and were ignorant of the model."
In return, on the 1st of January, 1796,^ the minister of the French
Republic to the United States presented the colors of France * to the
United States, and addressed the President as follows : —
" Mr. President : I come to acquit myself of a duty very dear to
my heart. I come to deposit in your hands, and in the midst of a
1 Life of Commodore Joshua Barney.
2 American State Papers, vol. i. 1832 edition, p. 698.
8 Washington received a communication from the French minister on the 22d of
December, and proposed to receive the colors on the first day of the new year, a day of
general joy and congratulation.
* These colors were the tricolor which had been established by the following decree,
and succeeded the colors, &c., decreed by the National Assembly, Oct. 21, 1790, and
were hoisted over the fleet at Brest with ceremonies and festivity, Jan. 11, 1791.
Feb. 15, 1793. The National Convention of France, in consequence of the report of
St. Andre, passed the following decree : —
" 1st. The maritime flag decreed by the National Constitutional Assembly is sup-
pressed.
" 2d. The national flag shall henceforth be formed of the three national colors disposed
in three equal bands, put in a vertical direction, in such a manner that the blue be affixed
to the stafi" of the flag, the white in the middle, and the red floating in the air.
" 3d. The flag called the 'jack,' and the flag on the stern of the ships, shall be disposed
in the same manner, obsei-ving the iisual proportion of size.
" 4th. The streamers (pennants) shall likewise be formed of three colors ; of wliich
one-fifth shall be blue, one-fifth white, and three-fifths red.
" 5th. The national flag shall be hoisted in all the ships of the republic on the 20th of
May; and the minister of marine shall give the necessary orders for that pui-j'ose."
I
FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES. 313
people justly renowned for their courage and their love of liberty, the
symbol of the triumphs and of the enfranchisement of my nation. . . .
The National Convention, the organ of the will of the French nation,
have more than once expressed their sentiments to the American
people ; but, above all, these burst forth on that august day, when the
minister of the United States presented to the national representation
the colors of his country. Desiring never to lose recollections so dear
to Frenchmen, as they must be to Americans, the convention ordered
that these colors should be placed in the hall of their sittings. They
had experienced sensations too agreeable not to cause them to be par-
taken of by their allies, and decreed that to them the national colors
should be presented.
" Mr. Peesident : I do not doubt their expectations will be fulfilled,
and I am convinced that every citizen will receive, with pleasing
emotion, this jElag, elsewhere the terror of the enemies of liberty, here
the certain pledge of faithful friendship ; especially when they recol-
lect that it guides to combat men who have shared their toils, and
who were prepared for liberty, by aiding them to acquire their own."
General Washington, in his reply the same day to this address,
after expressing his congratulations on the formation and establish-
ment of the French Eepublic, said : " I receive, sir, with lively sensi-
bility, the symbol of the triumphs and of the enfranchisement of your
nation, the colors of France, which you have now presented to the
United States. The transaction will be announced to Congress, and
the colors will be deposited with those archives of the United States
which are at once the evidence and the memorial of their freedom and
independence. May these be perpetual ! and may the friendship of
the two republics be commensurate with their existence ! " ^
The House proceeded at once to consider the above, and
" Resolved, unanimously, That the President be requested to make
known to the representatives of the French people that this House
had received with the most sincere and lively sensibility the commu-
nication of the Committee of Public Safety, dated the 21st of October,
1794, accompanied by the colors of the French Eej^ublic ; and to
assure them that the presentation of the colors of the French Eepub-
lic to the Congress of the United States is deemed the most honorable
testimonial of the existing sympathies and affections of the two repub-
lics founded upon their solid and reciprocal interests ; and that this
House rejoices in the opportunity thereby afforded to congratulate
the French nation upon the brilliant and glorious achievements which
have been accomplished under their influence during the present
1 American State Papers, 3d ed., vol. ii. p. 100.
;;14 OKICI.N AM> J'liOUKESS OF TJIK
alllictiug war, ami eoiilideiitly hopes that tho.su achicveineuts will be
uttL'Uik'd witli tlie perfect attainment of their object, — the permanent
establishment of the liberties and happiness of a i^^eat ami magnani-
mous people."
]\Ir. (iiles and Mr. Smith were appointed a committee to wait upon
the President with this resolution.^
Mr. Adet, the French minister to the United States, was not satis-
fied with this disposition of the tricolor, and nine days later writes to
I\Ir. rickering, Secretary of State, thus : " When the National Conven-
tion decreed that the French Hag should Ite presented by its minister
to the United States, there was but one opinion as to the place in
which it should be deposited. A decree had placed yours in the hall
of the legislative body. Every one thought tliat the French flag
would with you receive the same honor ; all my fellow-citizens liave,
one after another, contemplated that pledge of your friendship, and
each one believed that the Americans would also have the same eager-
ness to view the symbol of the enfranchisement of a friendly nation,
who, like them, had purchased their liberty at the price of blood.
This expectation has not been fulfilled, and it has been decided that
the French flag shall be shut up among the archives. Wliatever may
be the expression of friendship in the answer of the President, liow-
ever amicable, also, are the resolutions of the House of Representa-
tives, I cannot doubt, sir, that the order made for preserving a flag
which the republic sent only to the United States will l)e looked
upon by it as a mark of contempt or indifference. Pride, sir, you
know, is the portion of a free people ; and it is never wounded but at
the expense of friendship. The present circumstances are extremely
delicate ; and when I am convinced the American government had no
intention of leading the French Ptepublic to think that the gift of her
flag is worth nothing in its eyes, should it not give her authentic
proof of it ? Would it not be convenient to fix this flag in a similar
place to that which yours occupies in France, and where the national
honor expected to see it ? "
Mr. Pickering, in his reply, dated Jan. 15, 1796, regrets that the
real and essential friendship of two free people should be wounded by
a circumstance of this kind, resulting from the different ideas they
entertain of the mode most proper for preserving the sign of tlieir lib-
erty, and of the victories and triumphs by which it was acquired, and
1 American State Papers, 3d ed., vol. ii. p. TOO. It would be interesting to know
the further history of these colors thus officially received, as also of the stars and stripes
presented to the National Convention by Jlr. Monroe. Is the French flag still "shut up
among the archives " of the State Department ?
I
FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES. 315
'Calls to mind that the representatives of the French people assembled
in one room, and that their own colors were exhibited there when it
was decreed the colors of the United States should be. That, on the
contrary, the people of the United States were represented by the
President or Executive, the Senate, and the House of Eepresentatives,
the President being the sole constitutional organ of communication
with foreign nations. "When, therefore, the colors of France were
delivered to the President, they were in the only proper manner pre-
sented to the people of the United States of America, for wdiom the
President is the only constitutional depositary of foreign communica-
tions. Of these, the President transmits to the two Houses of Con-
gress such as he thinks proper for their information ; and thus the
colors of France were exhibited to their view. But the United States
have never made a pulilic display of their own colors, except in their
ships and in their military establishments." " Under these circum-
stances, what honor could be shown to the colors of France more re-
spectful than to deposit them with the e\'idences and memorials of
our own freedom and independence ? If to the United States only
the colors of France have been presented, I answer that the colors of
France alone have been deposited with our national archives, that
both may be preserved with equal care." He closes with this digni-
iied rebuke to the minister for dictating the proper place for the de-
posit of the French flag : " I must also remark that the people of the
United States have exhibited nowhere in their deliberative assemblies
any public spectacles as the tokens of their victories, the symbols of
their triumphs, or the monuments of their freedom. Understanding
in what true liberty consists, contented with its enjoyment, and know-
ing how to preserve it, they reverence their own customs, while they
respect those of their sister republic. This I conceive, sir, is the way
to maintain peace and good harmony between France and the United
States, and not by demanding an adoption of the manners of the other :
in these we must be mutually free." " This explanation, sir, I hope
will be satisfactory to you and to your government, and in concur-
rence with the manner of receiving the French colors, and the unani-
mous sentiments of affection and good wishes expressed on the
occasion by the President, the Senate, and the House of Eepresenta-
tives, effectually repel every idea that could wound the friendship
subsisting between the two nations." ^
1 American State Papers, 1832, vol. i. p. 656. This captious Frenchman, a few
months later, made official complaint that the 'Philadelphia Directory' for 1796 gave
precedence on its list of foreign ministers to the minister of Great Britain over those of
316 OKii.ix WD i'i;(h;ue^.s ov tiik
In 1707, tlie little .-.liip-ii'^gccl boat Betsey, of only ninety tons,
Captain Edmund Fanning, sailed IVoni New York, and carried the
stars and stripes around the world ; she returned at the end of two years
with a valuable cargo of silks, teas, china, and nankeens, and with a
healthy crew of young fellows all decked in China silk jackets and
blanched chip hats trimmed with blue ribbons. The ship presented a
daily sight at the Flymarket wharf, where hundreds were daily vis-
itors to see a ship of war in beautiful miniature, with a battery tier
of guns fore and aft. The voyage was a successful one, and resulted
in one thousand dollars apiece to the seamen, and gifts of silk, nan-
keen, &c. The Betsey was at first intended for a New York and
Charleston packet, and rigged as a brig. She was built in New York,
in 1792, and so far up town as to be launched across three streets, her
master-builder having a fancy to build her before his own door in
Cheapside Street. She is probably the smallest sliip that ever com-
pleted the circumnavigation of the globe.
Every thing connected with the frigate Constitution, of glorious
memories and victories, still existing to stimulate the patriotism
of our naval aspirants, is of interest, and we are happy to be able to
record the name of the person who first hoisted our flag over her, with
no conception of the glorious history she would make for it. Her keel
was laid in 1794, but she was not launched until Oct. 21, 1797. It
was intended she should be the first vessel of the new and permanent
navy. But two of the six frigates ordered to be built under the same
law were launched before her ; viz.. The United States, launched July
10, 1797, and destroyed at Norfolk, April 20, 1861 ; and the Constel-
lation, launched Sept. 7, 1797, broken up in 1854, and now repre-
sented by a razee ship of the same name.
The Constitution, better known as ' Old Ironsides,' often repaired
and rebuilt, remains of the same model, and is of the same tonnage
and general appearance as when launched. She was modelled by
Joshua Humphries, and built by George Claghorne and Mr. Hartt, of
Boston.
When ready to be launched, Commodore Samuel Nicholson, who
had the superintendence of her construction, left the ship-yard to get
his breakfast, leaving express orders not to hoist any flag over her
until his return, intending to reserve that honor to himself. Among
the workmen upon her was a shipwright and caulker named Samuel
Bentley, who, with the assistance of Harris, another workman, bent
France and Spain. Mr. Pickering, of course, replies that the United States has no con-
trol over the publication of almanacs and directories.
FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES. 317
on and hoisted the stars and stripes during 'the commodore's ab-
sence. When the commodore retin^ned 'and saw the flair floating
over her, he was very wrathy, and expressed himself to the offenclino-
workmen in words more strong than polite. Could he have foreseen
the future of the noble frigate, he would have been still more excited
at Bentley's little coup cVetat. He had, however, the satisfaction of
being the first to command her, and she was the first of the new
frigates to carry the fifteen stars and fifteen stripes under canvas
upon the deep blue sea. Bentley died in Boston, in 1852.
The fifteen stars and fifteen stripes were worn by the Constitution
before Tripoli, and throughout the war of 1812. It was the flao- worn
by the Constellation in her actions with L'Insurgente and La Ven-
geance ; the flag that waved over Derne ; the flag of Lake Erie, Fort
McHenry, and New Orleans, and of our naval victories on the Atlan-
tic ; and which was carried around both Cape Horn and the Cape of
Good Hope in the Essex, the first United States vessel of war to
show a pennant beyond either.
On the 6th of January, 1800, the Essex, Captain Edward Preble,
sailed from New York for Batavia, in company with the Congress.
When six days out, the Congress was dismasted, and the Essex,
knowing nothing of the disaster, proceeded on her voyage alone.
On the 28th of March, 1800, she doubled the Cape of Good Hope
on her outward voyage, and on the 27th of August, 1800, repassed it
after a tempestuous passage on her return home, and thus was the
first vessel of the ITnited States navy to pass and repass that stormy
barrier, rightly named by its discoverer '' Cabo de las Tormentas." It
was also the good fortune of the Essex under Commodore David
Porter, on her last and most celebrated cruise, to be the first vessel
of our navy to pass around Cape Horn. The Essex left St. Catharine's,
Brazil, on the 26th of January, 1813, passed the Cape on the 14th of
February, and, after a most stormy and tempestuous time in weather-
ing it, encountered a pleasant southwest breeze in the Pacific Ocean
on the 5th, and arrived off Valparaiso on the 13th of March, where
she anchored on the 15th of the same month.
The Cape was made on the 14th of February under the promising
auspices of a tolerably clear horizon, a moderate wind from the west-
ward, and a bright sun. Every man was exulting in their escape
from the dreaded terrors of Cape Horn, when suddenly a tempest
burst upon the ship which raised an irregular and dangerous sea,
and reduced her flowing canvas to storm staysails. Storm succeeded
storm, with intervals of deceitful calm, which encouraged the making
3l(S oiJKJiN AND i'i:()(;ki:ss ok tiik
of sail, antl aiMiiil lu the labor ol' lliu hard-\vorkin<i; crew, wlio wcni
imiiK'iliately forced to reef tigain, to meet the ooininy; blast.
On the last day of February, being in latitude HO" S., Ca]itain
Porter, as his ship glided on a smooth sea before a modemte breeze,
congratulated himself upon the cheering prospect, and made prepara-
tions for fine weather, thinking the dangers and disagreeable attend-
ants of a passage around the Cape all over. The wind, however, soon
freshened to a gale, and l)lew with a fury exceeding any thing before
experienced during the Aoyage. It was ho])ed, Irom the excessive
violence of the wind, that it would soon blow out its strength. This
hope failing, all on board, worn out with fatigue and anxiety, alarnu'd
by the terrors of a lee-shore, and in nioinentary expectation of the loss
of the masts and bowsprit, began to consider their safety hopeless.
The ship, with her water-ways gaping and her timbers separating
widely from the heavy and continued straining to wiiicli slie had
been so long exposed, now made a great deal of water, and, to add
to the fearfulness of the danger, the pumps had become choked. The
sea meantime had arisen to a great height, threatening to swallow the
ship at every roll. For two days the storm continued unabated, but
as the good ship had resisted its violence, " to the astonishment of
all, without receiving any considerable injiny," it was hoped from her
excellent qualities she might be able to weather the storm. Before
the third day had passed, however, an enormous sea broke over the
ship, and for an instant destroyed all hope. The gun-deck ports were
burst in, Ijoth Ijoats on the quarter stove, the spare spars washed from
the chains, the head-rails swept away, the hammock stanchion crushed,
and the ship perfectly deluged and ^ater-logged. One man, an old
sailor, the boatswain, who had been taken from an English packet,
was so appalled that he cried out in his despair that the ship's inroad-
side was stove in, and that she was sinking. The alarm ran through-
out the vessel from the spar-deck to the gun-deck, and was caught
up by those below on the berth-deck, who, deluged by the torrents
of water rushing down the hatchways, and swept by huge seas out
of their hammocks, believed that the Essex was about to plunge
for ever into the depths of the ocean. The men at the wheel, how-
ever, who were only able to keep to their post by clinging with all
their might, distinguished themselves by their cool intrepidity, and
were rewarded by Captain Porter after the storm by advancement
in rank, while others, who had shrank from the terrors of the scene,
were rebuked for their timidity.
Leaving this tempestuous weather behind, the Essex quickly passed
FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES. 319
the inhospitable coasts of Patagonia and Lower Chili, and sailed into
smoother seas and pleasant weather.
The Essex cruise furnishes one of the most remarkable chapters in
our naval history. On the 19th of November, 1813, Captain Porter
hoisted our flag and took possession of Nukahiva, one of the Marquesas
Islands in the South Pacific, setting forth his claims to its p)OSsession
in the following declaration, which was signed by himself and attested
by fifteen of his officers as witnesses : —
" Declaration.
" It is hereby made known to the world, that I, David Porter, a captain
in the navy of the United States of America, and now in command of the
United States frigate ' Essex,' have, on the part of the said United States,
taken possession of the island called by the natives 'Nookahiva,' generally
known by the name of ' Sir Henry Martin's Island,' but now called ' Madison
Island.' That by the request and assistance of the friendly tribes residing
in the valley of Tienhoi, as well as of the tribes residing on the mountams,
whom we have conquered and rendered tributary to our flag, I have caused
the village of Madison to be built, consisting of six convenient houses, a
rope-walk, bakery, and other appurtenances, and for the protection of the
same, as well as for that of the friendly natives, I have constructed a fort,
calculated for mounting sixteen guns, whereon I have mounted four, and
called the same ' Fort Madison.'
" Our right to this island, being founded on priority of discovery, con-
quest, and possession, cannot be disputed ; but the natives, to secure to
themselves that friendly protection which their defenceless situation so
much required, have requested to be admitted into the great American fam-
ily, whose pure republican pohcy approaches so near their own ; and, in
order to encourage these views to their own interest and happiness, as well
as to render secure our claim to an island valuable on many considerations,
I have taken on myself to promise them that they shall be so adopted ; that
our chief shall be their chief , and they have given assurances that such of
their brethren as may hereafter visit them from tlie United States shall
enjoy a welcome and hospitable reception among them, and be furnished
with whatever refreshments and supplies the island may afford ; that they
will protect them against all their enemies, and that, as far as lies in tlieir
power, they will prevent the subjects of Great Britain (knowing them to be
such) from coming among them until peace shall have taken place between
the two nations.
" Presents, consisting of the produce of the island to a great amount,
have been brought in by every tribe in the island, not excepting the most
remote, and have been enumerated as follows : [Here follows the enumera-
tion of thirty-one tribes.] Most of the above have requested to be taken
320 oKItilN AND I'1{()(;KI;ss of 'IIIK
under the proU-ctinn of our Hag; and al